China's Shenzhou-16 crew complete first extravehicular activity
Shenzhou-16 crew members Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao successfully completed all the assigned tasks and safely returned to the space research module with the support of the robotic…
These beetles use surface tension to water-ski
Waterlily beetles (Galerucella nymphaeae) literally fly across water, high speed videography and a bit of mathematical modeling reveals. The beetles have a combination of hydrophobic hairs that line their legs…
Science’s inconvenient (but interesting) uncertainties
Earth sciences reporter Thomas Sumner recalls seeing the documentary film An Inconvenient Truth when he was in high school. The climate science presented in the movie didn’t surprise him too…
A weasel has shut down the Large Hadron Collider
CERN’s Large Hadron Collider is in standby mode after a 66-kilovolt/18-kilovolt electrical transformer suffered a short circuit April 29 at 5:30 a.m. Central European Time. The culprit: A small wild…
Heartburn drugs can damage cells that line blood vessels
A popular type of heartburn medicine could hasten wear and tear of blood vessels. Proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs, gunk up cells that typically line the veins and arteries like…
Hornbills join toucans in the cool beak club
In the scorching heat of the Kalahari Desert, some birds still manage to keep their cool. Thermal imaging reveals that the southern yellow-billed hornbill (Tockus leucomelas) vents heat from its…
Bacteria resistant to last-resort antibiotic appears in U.S.
A last-ditch weapon against drug-resistant bacteria has met its match in Pennsylvania. A 49-year-old woman has tested positive for a strain of Escherichia coli resistant to the antibiotic colistin, researchers…
Bacteria-sized molecules created in lab
Scientists have created giant molecules — the size of bacteria — that may be useful in future quantum computers. The molecules of unusual size are formed from pairs of Rydberg…
How one scientist’s gut microbes changed over a year
Where you live and what you eat can rapidly affect the types of friendly bacteria inhabiting your body. To see how the microbes that inhabit the mouth and intestines change…
Sugar industry sought to sugarcoat causes of heart disease
Using records unearthed from library storage vaults, researchers recently revealed that the sugar industry paid nutrition experts from Harvard University to downplay studies linking sugar and heart disease. Although the…