This week in science: Prehistoric cooking, earthquakes in the PNW, and teens’ sleep
Regina Barber and Katia Riddle of NPR’s Short Wave podcast talk about prehistoric cooking, earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest and how teens are sleeping less
Category: Science
Chickpeas can grow in moon dirt and make seeds
Chickpeas produced seeds in simulated lunar soil, offering clues for future space farming.
James Webb telescope pushed to its limits by new observations of ‘city killer’ asteroid 2024 YR4
The “city killer” asteroid 2024 YR4 won’t hit Earth or the moon when it whizzes by in 2032, the latest James Webb Space Telescope observations
The sword in the sea: How one lucky graduate student found his second Crusader sword while taking a swim off Israel’s coast
A 12th-century sword spotted jutting out of the seabed in Israel was designed for one-handed combat during the Crusades.
Chinese EV maker claims it’s engineered the world’s first semi-solid-state EV battery with huge 620-mile range
The experimental manufacturing process could one day deliver a vehicle with a 1,000-plus mile range, researchers say.
NASA updates odds that ‘city killer’ asteroid 2024 YR4 will hit the moon
The “city killer” asteroid 2024 YR4 won’t hit Earth or the moon when it whizzes by in 2032, the latest James Webb Space Telescope observations
Groundbreaking new drug shows promise for treating children with a devastating form of epilepsy
An experimental treatment reduces seizures and other symptoms in children with a type of epilepsy called Dravet syndrome.
Scientists taught robots to swim through mazes using Einstein’s relativity
The tiny bots follow patterns of light and “artificial space-time,” navigating like craft following the curved space around a black hole.
A koala population’s rapid rebound may let it escape inbreeding’s perils
As koalas in southern Australia have grown from a few hundred to almost half a million, the marsupials show signs of regaining lost genetic variation.
This molecule puts a new twist on the Möbius strip
A molecule made of carbon and chlorine is half as twisty as the paper loops common in math classes.
Total Lunar Eclipse
A total lunar eclipse rises over New Orleans, home of NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility, in the early morning hours of Tuesday, March 3. A lunar
Sodium-ion batteries are getting ready for prime time. How can they improve EVs?
With potential safety improvements and lower manufacturing costs, Na-ion batteries are coming of age at precisely the right time
9 ways people have modified their bodies since the dawn of time, from foot binding to castration
Many types of body modification date back hundreds or thousands of years, revealing our ancient ancestors were not that different from us.
ZWO SeeStar S50 smart telescope review
Small, smart and beginner-friendly, the SeeStar S50 takes the hassle out of stargazing, delivering detailed nebula and galaxy shots at the tap of your screen.