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Animals

Kangaroo farts: Not so ‘green’ after all?

Scientists had thought that kangaroo farts were environmentally friendly because they had little methane. That may not always be true.

Chemistry

Scientists Say: Dioxide

Carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and zirconium dioxide all have something in common. They are all molecules with two oxygens bound to some other element.

Earth

Table salt and shellfish can contain plastic

Bits of plastic have turned up in sea salts purchased in Chinese supermarkets. The finding suggests all sea salts may be similarly tainted. Shellfish too.

Brain

When every face is a stranger’s face

Some people can’t recognize faces — any faces, even their mother’s. Scientists are working to understand this ‘face blindness’ and help those who suffer from it.

Health & Medicine

News Brief: Group dancing helps teens bond

Coordinated dance routines help teens bond with one another, new data show. Group dancing also offers other benefits, including a higher threshold for pain.

Animals

Gene editing creates buff beagles

Scientists showed that a potentially useful new gene-editing tool can work in dogs. It created a pair of adorable, muscular puppies. But the goal is to use it for other research purposes.

Ecosystems

Two SNS writers win big

Here’s a Cool Job: writing about science. Two people who regularly do that for SNS have just picked up awards for stories on the physics of lightning and how nature recycles the dead to feed the living.

Physics

Explainer: Locating a gun with sound waves

Recording the sound of a gun from three microphones can help scientists pinpoint the weapon’s location.

Physics

Boom! Sounding out the enemy

Armistice Day marked the end of the Great War. But what arguably won the war was acoustics — the science of sound. It allowed Allied troops to home in on and rout the enemy.

Chemistry

Explainer: Temperature and electrical resistance

Higher temperatures mean more energy and more motion. In contrast, cold means slow moving molecules.

Brain

Scientists discover itch-busting cells

A study in mice finds the body has a special way of dealing with an itch that’s caused by a light touch. The results could lead to treatments for chronic itch.

Brain

Scientists Say: Neurotransmitters

When brain cells need to communicate, they use chemicals as messengers. These molecules have a special name.