Welcome to the “Science News” update from Hawaii Science Digest.
Views expressed in this science and technology news summary are those of the reporters and correspondents.
Content supplied by “Science News”, an official publication of the Society for Science & the Public.
Accessed on 10 April 2019, 0530 UTC.
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Science News
THE SCIENCE LIFE
Chickens stand sentinel against mosquito-borne disease in Florida
To learn where mosquitoes are transmitting certain viruses, Florida officials deploy chickens and test them for antibodies to the pathogens.
NEWS
Antarctica’s iceberg graveyard could reveal the ice sheet’s future
Drilling deep into the seafloor beneath Antarctica’s “Iceberg Alley” could reveal new clues about how quickly the continent has melted in the past.
SPONSOR MESSAGE
SOAPBOX
Our brains sculpt each other. So why do we study them in isolation?
Studying individual brains may not be the way to figure out the human mind, a social neuroscientist argues.
NEWS
4 things we’ll learn from the first closeup image of a black hole
Scientists are gearing up to release the first image of the black hole at the center of the galaxy. Here’s what they hope to find out.
NEWS IN BRIEF
A common food additive may make the flu vaccine less effective
A food preservative may impair the ability to fight the flu, a study in mice suggests.
FEATURE
Here are 5 RNAs that are stepping out of DNA’s shadow
RNAs do a lot more than act as middlemen for protein building. Here are a few of the ways they affect your health and disease.
NEWS IN BRIEF
When an older person’s brain waves are in sync, memory is boosted
A brain stimulation treatment that nudges older people’s brain waves into sync could lead to noninvasive therapies for dementia and other disorders.
NEWS
How deadly, fast-moving flows of volcanic rock and gas cheat friction
Mixtures of hot volcanic rock and gas called pyroclastic flows travel so far by gliding on air, a new study suggests.
NEWS
Mathematicians may have found the fastest way to multiply huge numbers
A new theoretical method for multiplying enormous figures appears to achieve a speed first predicted decades ago.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Peruvian fossils yield a four-legged otterlike whale with hooves
A newly discovered species of ancient whale unearthed in Peru split time between land and sea.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Hayabusa2 has blasted the surface of asteroid Ryugu to make a crater
Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft shot a projectile at Ryugu. Next: collecting asteroid dust from the probable impact crater left behind.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Testing mosquito pee could help track the spread of diseases
A new way to monitor the viruses that wild mosquitoes are spreading passes its first outdoor test.
50 YEARS AGO
50 years ago, scientists were unlocking the secrets of bacteria-infecting viruses
In 1969, a bacteria-infecting virus held promise for unlocking the secrets of viral replication. Fifty years later, the virus is a versatile tool for scientists.
NEWS
How emus and ostriches lost the ability to fly
Changes in regulatory DNA, rather than mutations to genes themselves, grounded some birds, a study finds.
NEWS
This planetary remnant somehow survived the death of its sun
A small, sturdy piece of planet survived the collapse of its sun and now orbits the dead star.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Cats recognize their own names
A new study suggests that cats can tell their names apart from other spoken words.
NEWS
A major crop pest can make tomato plants lie to their neighbors
Insects called silverleaf whiteflies exploit tomatoes’ ability to detect damage caused to nearby plants.
NEWS
Metal asteroids may have once had iron-spewing volcanoes
Two groups of scientists introduce the idea of “ferrovolcanism,” or iron volcanoes, that could have occurred on metal asteroids like Psyche.
NEWS
What we know and don’t know about how mass trauma affects mental health
Three people connected to mass shootings have recently killed themselves. Here’s what we know, and don’t, about the lingering effects of mass trauma.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Tiny pumpkin toadlets have glowing bony plates on their backs
Pumpkin toadlets are the first frogs found to have fluorescent bony plates that are visible through their skin under ultraviolet light.
NEWS
New fossils may capture the minutes after the dinosaur-killing asteroid impact
North Dakota fossils may depict the aftermath of the dinosaur-killing asteroid, but controversial claims about the breadth of the find are unproven.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Bacteria can be coaxed into making the toughest kind of spider silk
Lab-altered bacteria have made a copy of a spider’s strongest silk strands, which could one day be used to make more sturdy materials.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Foreigners may have conquered ancient Egypt without invading it
Dental evidence suggests female Hyksos immigrants married into power.
NEWS
A Nobel Prize winner argues banning CRISPR babies won’t work
Human gene editing needs responsible regulation, but a ban isn’t the way to go, says Nobel laureate David Baltimore.