Among the more unusual news stories recently…Singapore uses a robot dog to encourage social distancing, an 11-year-old skateboarder does three complete turns in the air, and an injured hiker in Tasmania is found and rescued thanks to three little words.
Published in “Science”
There are a number of animals that glow in some way - including several kinds of insects and fish. Some kinds of mushrooms glow, too. But plants don't glow. Now, scientists are working to change that.
During the last few months, most countries around the world have spent weeks in lockdowns of different kinds. Now, governments are trying to decide if the time is right to start normal business activity again.
In recent news from the world of animals, scientists learn that koalas get water by licking rain off of trees, a very rare brown bear is caught on camera in Spain, and an aquarium in Japan asks people to FaceTime its eels.
Early Thursday morning, a deadly gas leak from a chemical factory in Visakhapatnam, India spread over a sleeping neighborhood, killing several and sending hundreds more to the hospital.
Worldwide, many efforts are being made to test people for the new coronavirus. But scientists are also looking at an unusual way of testing for the virus - studying water that's been flushed down toilets.
Scientists report that Asian giant hornets have been found in Washington state. It's the first time they've been found in the US. The hornets can be dangerous for humans, but they are truly a threat to European honeybees.
With billions of people on lockdown worldwide because of the coronavirus pandemic, the natural world has been given a taste of life with fewer people around. Many animals seem to be making the most of this human-free time.
Recently, researchers have reported on two different ways to break down different kinds of plastic. The new advances could lead to easier, high-quality recycling, and help deal with toxic plastic pollution.
Governments and businesses worldwide are creating smartphone apps to help track the spread of the new coronavirus. The apps could be an important part of easing up on lockdowns, but they are also causing some worries.
Around the world, millions of people on lockdown are having to work from home. Among them are NASA's scientists - including those controlling spacecraft, and even Curiosity, one of NASA's Mars rovers.