Weekly Science Picks
FollowIt’s Sunday again. Time for some science-y goodness from around the globe!!
Mouse eats scorpion, feels no pain.
The discovery that a type of mouse feels no pain from scorpion venom has revealed a new strategy for developing pain-killing drugs.
Hubble to get boost from gravitational lensing
Astronomers are attempting to boost the imaging prowess of the Hubble Space Telescope by taking advantage of naturally occurring zoom lenses in space.
More animals discovered in the Amazon – including a purring monkey!
At least 441 new species of animals and plants have been discovered over a four year period in the vast, underexplored rainforest of the Amazon, including a monkey that purrs like a cat.
Microbiologists and Astrobiologists work with kids to discover new microbes!
Extremophiles are microbes that have adapted to extreme environments, such as Utah’s Great Salt Lake. But new microorganisms can be found in everyday places, and scientists are showing school kids how to discover and name their own new species.
Ozone hole smaller than average this year
The ozone hole that forms each year in the stratosphere over Antarctica was slightly smaller in 2013 than average in recent decades, according to NASA satellite data.
ESA volunteers slacking off for science
ESA’s volunteers recently finished their third and last session lying in bed in the interest of spaceflight and science. They can return to their normal lives after spending their last 21 days in bed with their feet up – once their bodies have recuperated from the experience.