Weekly Science Picks

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We have come to the end of one more week and it’s time to summarise what has happened during this week. As usual, the task was quite challenging, but we made it. Here is the review of the most exiting and fascinating news from the world of science and technology.

Science and Religion, Genome Cryptography, and the Coolest Science Fact

Last week, thousands of scientists gathered in Chicago, Illinois, to share their latest research with the world. Here are some of our favorite stories from the meeting, held each year by AAAS, which publishes Science.

Is this whale-shaped plane the future of airliners?

Spotting an Airbus A380 at an airport can still create great excitement. The giant, double-decker plane can seat between 500 and 850 people, depending on how much space is given to space-saving economy class, and how much goes to higher-paying passengers with all that extra leg room. It’s an aviation giant, the biggest passenger-carrying aircraft ever to fly the skies.

Asteroid 2000 EM26: ‘potentially hazardous’ space rock to fly close to Earth

But it is defined as a potentially hazardous near-Earth object (NEO) large enough to cause significant damage in the event of an impact. Scientists estimate the asteroid, travelling at 27,000mph, is 270 metres (885ft) wide.

Why does the brain remember dreams?

Some people recall a dream every morning, whereas others rarely recall one. In a new study, research shows that the temporo-parietal junction, an information-processing hub in the brain, is more active in high dream recallers. Increased activity in this brain region might facilitate attention orienting toward external stimuli and promote intrasleep wakefulness, thereby facilitating the encoding of dreams in memory.

That’s all for this Weekly Science Picks. Until next meeting, stay thirsty for new scientific stories.