About once a month or so, we gather up our favorite science news stories from recent weeks and pick a few to share. There's no particular rhyme or reason behind these, other than that they caught my attention, made me think, and made me want to learn more. Hope some or all of them catch your attention too. And if you're inspired to take a deeper look at any of these topics, check out the links to related books.
Tardigrades
I just love this little animal. First the name - "Tardigrade" - sounds so science fiction'ish and gives the impression that they're always tardy!
They look like the hookah-smoking caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland, or something out of Star Trek or Dr. Who! And they can pretty much survive anything - radiation, deepest part of the ocean, vacuum of space, anything. These little creatures will be around long after we are extinct. So when these tiny animals are in the news, it catches my attention. Scientists recently studied how these animals walk and why. Check out what they found.
New Island
Yes, a new island was recently discovered. You'd have thought they've found everything there is to find on earth by now, but apparently not!
Explorers recently discovered a new island, by accident, in the northernmost part of Greenland, making it Earth's new northernmost island. Sorry, former northernmost island - Oodaaq. Although, if you hang in there a bit you may regain the title. It seems this new island may be short-lived. Makes you wonder if islands come and go more often than we can find them.
Deeper Dive: The ice at the end of the world.
Muons
The only particles I can remember from my high school physics are protons, electrons, and neutrons! Apparently, we are now up to 17 elementary particles. I've got some catching up to do.
Recently, one of them - the Muon - has been in the news and causing quite a stir. Turns out physicists at the Fermi lab observed some anomaly in its behavior that may shake up one of science's most watertight theories - the standard model of particle physics. Also, check out this fun and easier-to-understand version - a set of cartoons explaining the anomaly.
Deeper Dive: A Simple Guide to Popular Physics
Hycean Planets
In looking for life outside of earth, astronomers usually look for earth-like everything - planets, atmosphere, temperature etc.
But now, a team of researchers is focusing on a new class of potentially habitable planets dubbed Hycean planets because they have a Hy-drogen rich atmosphere as well as planet-wide liquid water o-cean's. These are larger than earth, numerous in near-earth space and therefore, easier to discover and study. The oceans are thought to be habitable areas and could potentially harbor life. Researchers are excited because this could speed up the search for life outside of earth. I hope this is not one of those cases of looking for a lost object where the light is as opposed to where it was lost!
Deeper Dive: Brilliant abyss
Shape-shifting material
Engineers at Caltech and JPL have discovered a "Chain mail" fabric that can stiffen on-demand. With applications in far-ranging fields such as medical( body casts, load-bearing exoskeleton), security(body armor), and industrial(bridge or buildings), this could be the reality behind Batman's cape turned glider!
LED lights and insects
Turns out all those bright LED lights that save energy and last forever are not all good - especially when used as streetlights. These lights can disrupt the mating and pollination behaviors of nocturnal insects, thereby reducing their population. And we need insects to keep our ecological balance.
Deeper Dive: Silent Earth: Averting the Insect Apocalypse
State Fossil
Who knew there was such a thing as a state fossil! There is and what's more, you get to pick the one for Minnesota. The Science Museum of Minnesota is holding an election among several fossils vying for this honor. Check out the candidates and cast your vote here.
Do you have a favorite recent science news story? Do share!