Science Quickly

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Your Skull Shapes Your Hearing Oct 17, 2019

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The resonant properties of your skull can amplify some frequencies and dampen others—and, in some cases, affect your hearing. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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Tardigrade Protein Protects DNA from Chemical Attack Oct 16, 2019

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The Dsup protein protects DNA under conditions that create caustic free radical chemicals.

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"Mars-quakes" Could Reveal How Mars Was Built Oct 15, 2019

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Rumblings on the Red Planet act like x-rays, allowing scientists to probe the hidden interior of Mars. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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Artificial Intelligence Learns to Talk Back to Bigots Oct 10, 2019

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Algorithms are already used to remove online hate speech. Now scientists have taught an AI to respond—which they hope might spark more discourse. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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Nobel in Chemistry for Lightweight Rechargeable Batteries Oct 09, 2019

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The 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry goes to John Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino “for the development of lithium-ion batteries.”

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Nobel in Physics for Exoplanets and Cosmology Oct 08, 2019

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The 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics goes to James Peebles “for theoretical discoveries in physical cosmology” and to Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz “for the discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star.”

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Nobel in Physiology or Medicine for How Cells Sense Oxygen Levels Oct 07, 2019

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The 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine goes to William G. Kaelin, Jr., Peter J. Ratcliffe and Gregg L. Semenza “for their discoveries of how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability.” They identified molecular machinery that regulates gene activity in response to changing levels of oxygen.

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Teeth Tell Black Death Genetic Tale Oct 06, 2019

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DNA from the teeth of medieval plague victims indicates the pathogen likely first arrived in eastern Europe before spreading across the continent.

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Tiny Worms Are Equipped to Battle Extreme Environments Oct 05, 2019

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Scientists found eight species of nematodes living in California’s harsh Mono Lake—quintupling the number of animals known to live there. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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Heat Changes Insect Call, but It Still Works Oct 02, 2019

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Tiny insects called treehoppers produce very different mating songs at higher versus lower temperatures, but the intended recipient still finds the changed songs attractive.

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