#WSJScienceShorts

Jo Craven McGinty

@mcjomcg

6 months ago

Potato, Meet Tomato: How the Modern Spud Was Born A potato-like plant interbred with ancient tomatoes. Without this evolutionary event, the tuber we know wouldn’t exist.

Scientists have solved the puzzling origin story of the modern spud: “We revealed that tomato is the mother of potato.” @aylinwoodward.bsky.social reports for #WSJScienceShorts www.wsj.com/science/pota... via @wsj.com

Jo Craven McGinty

@mcjomcg

6 months ago

Panic-Inducing Rumors Went Viral Ahead of the French Revolution The tools of epidemiology were used to trace how false tales spread from place to place, and provoked a revolt.

Is there a lesson here? Researchers applied modern-day tools of epidemiology to trace how the spread of false rumors provoked the “Great Fear” of the French Revolution. @eniiler.bsky.social reports for #WSJScienceShorts www.wsj.com/science/fren... via @wsj.com

Jo Craven McGinty

@mcjomcg

7 months ago

Did NASA Find Signs of Ancient Life on Mars—Or Is It Another False Alarm? Earlier evidence pointing to ancient microbial life on the red planet hasn’t held up.

Science Shorts: NASA announced it has found potential evidence of ancient microbial life on Mars. Is it another false alarm? @eniiler.bsky.social reports for #WSJScienceShorts www.wsj.com/science/spac... via @wsj.com

Jo Craven McGinty

@mcjomcg

7 months ago

Why Do Rodents Flourish? A Human-Like Thumb Helps The unusual digit makes it easier for them to manipulate their food.

Squirrels developed a surprising (and human-like) trait over millions of years that is a key to their abundance. @nidhisubs.bsky.social reports for #WSJScienceShorts www.wsj.com/science/rode... via @wsj.com

Jo Craven McGinty

@mcjomcg

7 months ago

Ancient teeth unearthed in eastern Africa reveal a new species of human ancestor. @aylinwoodward.bsky.social reports for #WSJScienceShorts @www.wsj.com/science/human-ancestor-a... via @wsj.com

Jo Craven McGinty

@mcjomcg

7 months ago

Scientists Have Unlocked the Secret That Gives Fine Chocolate Its Great Taste Scientists scored a breakthrough that could help farmers standardize the natural fermentation process that gives their product its particular taste.

For the first time scientists have isolated the microbes that help give chocolate its great taste. @NidhiSubs reports for #WSJScienceShorts www.wsj.com/science/choc... via @WSJ

Jo Craven McGinty

@mcjomcg

8 months ago

AI Is Helping Historians With Their Latin A new tool fills in missing portions of ancient inscriptions from the Roman Empire.

AI is filling in missing portions of ancient Latin texts. The inscriptions offer rare insights into the conquests, ambitions and business accounts of citizens of the Roman Empire. @nidhisubs.bsky.social reports for #WSJScienceShorts www.wsj.com/tech/ai/aene... via @wsj.com

Jo Craven McGinty

@mcjomcg

8 months ago

A Horse-Sized Dinosaur Paved the Way for T. Rex A fossil that was mislabeled for decades is providing insights into how tyrannosaurs diversified and spread across the globe.

A newly identified fossil—mislabeled for decades—is providing insights into how T. rex and other tyrannosaurs diversified and spread across the globe @aylinwoodward.bsky.social reports for #WSJScienceShorts www.wsj.com/science/biol... via @wsj.com

Jo Craven McGinty

@mcjomcg

8 months ago

Violent Collision of Two Black Holes Rippled Across the Universe The pair merged to create a single hole about 225 times the mass of the sun.

Scientists detected the largest-known black hole merger, resulting in a black hole 225 times the mass of the sun @eniiler.bsky.social reports for #WSJScienceShorts www.wsj.com/science/viol... via @wsj.com

Jo Craven McGinty

@mcjomcg

9 months ago

New DNA Evidence Reveals Female-Led Society in Ancient China Neolithic settlement shows women held power near what is considered the birthplace of Chinese civilization

ICYMI: Archaeologists have unearthed a woman-dominated Neolithic Dawenkou culture in what is considered the birthplace of Chinese civilization. Liyan Qi reports for #WSJScienceShorts www.wsj.com/science/arch... via @wsj.com

Jo Craven McGinty

@mcjomcg

9 months ago

Amateur Stargazers Spot Rare Exploding Star A mobile app lets citizen scientists flag anomalies in space that are hard for computers to detect.

Citizen scientists alerted researchers to a rare exploding star. Pop open the link to see the image and learn about the project. (You can participate, too.) @eniiler.bsky.social reports for #WSJScienceShorts www.wsj.com/science/spac... via @wsj.com

Jo Craven McGinty

@mcjomcg

9 months ago

How to Make the Biggest Splash, According to Science Cannonball, belly-flop or manu jumping? Physicists study the splashiest way to hit the water.

Cannonball, belly-flop or a New Zealand manu? Physicists explain how to make the biggest splash when you hit the water. @nidhisubs.bsky.social reports for #WSJScienceShorts www.wsj.com/science/phys... via @wsj.com

Jo Craven McGinty

@mcjomcg

9 months ago

Megalodon Sharks Were Prehistoric Nightmares. Why Did They Go Extinct? Megalodons have been portrayed as gigantic great whites, but new research suggests they were more svelte and less agile hunters that got outcompeted.

Megalodons were longer and leaner than scientists once thought. That shape could have contributed to the giant shark’s extinction, new research suggests. @aylinwoodward.bsky.social reports for #WSJScienceShorts www.wsj.com/science/how-... via @wsj.com

Jo Craven McGinty

@mcjomcg

10 months ago

The Sun’s Fiery South Pole Is Revealed for the First Time New images are key to understanding solar magnetic storms and other space weather that can disrupt systems on Earth.

First-ever images of the sun’s south pole reveal secrets vital to understanding the solar magnetic storms that can affect Earth. @eniiler.bsky.social reports for #WSJScienceShorts www.wsj.com/science/spac... via @wsj.com

Jo Craven McGinty

@mcjomcg

10 months ago

A Man Let Snakes Bite Him 200 Times. His Blood Inspired a Universal Antivenom. A new cocktail described in the journal Cell fully protected mice against a lethal dose of venom from 13 deadly snake species and offered some protection for venom from six other species.

A Wisconsin man who wanted to "beat the bite" turned to deadly snakes for the challenge. @nidhisubs.bsky.social reports for #WSJScienceShorts www.wsj.com/science/biol... via @wsj.com

Jo Craven McGinty

@mcjomcg

10 months ago

Why Is Hail Getting So Big? Hailstorms cause billions in damages. Scientists are studying why it happens.

Why is hail getting so big? The largest study of hailstorms in U.S. history is trying to find out. @eniiler.bsky.social reports for #WSJScienceShorts www.wsj.com/science/envi... via @wsj.com

Jo Craven McGinty

@mcjomcg

10 months ago

Babies Don’t Need Mozart Recordings, Just a Parent Who Sings The salutary effect of music on infants is more about happiness than smarts.

Babies don’t need Mozart to be smart, but a new study shows that a parent who sings can make a big difference for their mood. Susan Pinker reports for #WSJScienceShorts www.wsj.com/science/babi... via @wsj.com

Jo Craven McGinty

@mcjomcg

10 months ago

AI Can’t Compete With Humans When It Comes to Reading the Room People pick up on physical cues that artificial intelligence models miss.

Who’s better at reading body language? Researchers at Johns Hopkins University pitted human beings against artificial-intelligence models to find out @eniiler.bsky.social r reports for #WSJScienceShorts www.wsj.com/tech/ai/ai-b... via @wsj.com SJ

Jo Craven McGinty

@mcjomcg

11 months ago

A Gene-Editing Breakthrough Saves Infant With Rare Disease The Crispr therapy was tailored to the baby’s specific condition and could provide a template for others.

An infant with a rare genetic mutation was treated with a gene editing therapy tailored to his specific condition—a breakthrough that could provide a template for others Betsy McKay reports for #WSJScienceShorts www.wsj.com/tech/biotech... via @wsj.com

Jo Craven McGinty

@mcjomcg

11 months ago

A Newly Discovered Dinosaur Has an Intact Claw—a Rarity Among Fossils The creatures, which resembled bizarre pandas, used the appendages for foraging.

A newly discovered dinosaur was found in the Gobi Desert with rare and exquisitely preserved foot-long claws @aylinwoodward.bsky.social reports for #WSJScienceShorts www.wsj.com/articles/duo... via @wsj.com

Jo Craven McGinty

@mcjomcg

11 months ago

Astronomers Discover Tatooine-Like Planet With Two Suns The trio is a rarity—and when all of its unusual traits are considered together, it is unique.

A newly discovered Tatooine system--a planet with two suns, like Luke Skywalker's home--is one-of-kind, thanks to a combination of unusual characteristics.
@nidhisubs.bsky.social
reports for #WSJScienceShorts wsj.com/science/astr... via
@wsj.com

Jo Craven McGinty

@mcjomcg

1 year ago

Why Your Fancy Boat Might Have Termites The bright lights a​t boatyards attract the wood-chomping insects ​seeking to mate and establish new colonies​.

Wood-paneled pleasure boats are spreading termites along coastal states, according to a new study that finds bright lights at boatyards attract the wood-chomping insects. @eniiler.bsky.social r reports for #WSJScienceShorts www.wsj.com/science/envi... via @wsj.com

Jo Craven McGinty

@mcjomcg

1 year ago

The Science-Backed, 16-Step Method for the Perfect Boiled Egg The result—if you have the patience—is an evenly cooked yolk, solid white and extra nutrition.

These scientists devised a tricky, 32-minute method to boil the perfect egg. @aylinwoodward.bsky.social reports for #WSJScienceShorts www.wsj.com/arts-culture... via @wsj.com

Jo Craven McGinty

@mcjomcg

1 year ago

Babies Make Memories. Adults Just Don’t Recall Them. Brain scans help scientists see how infant and toddler minds work

Brain scans suggest that babies form memories—even if adults can’t remember them. @nidhisubs.bsky.social reports for #WSJScienceShorts
www.wsj.com/science/baby... via @wsj.com

Jo Craven McGinty

@mcjomcg

1 year ago

The Space Station Is Too Clean, and It’s Making Astronauts Sick A lack of microbial diversity contributes to rashes, fungi and other infections

Rashes, fungi and other infections plague astronauts on the International Space Station. The problem might be too few bacteria. @eniiler.bsky.social reports for #WSJScienceShorts www.wsj.com/science/inte... via @wsj.com

Jo Craven McGinty

@mcjomcg

1 year ago

Was Mom Wrong When She Said Don’t Scratch That Itch? Scratching releases bacteria-fighting agents that help protect the skin, but it is a double-edged sword.

Why does scratching an itch feel so good? There is a surprising benefit—but scientists (and moms) still say you shouldn’t do it. @NidhiSubs reports for #WSJScienceShorts www.wsj.com/science/biol... via @WSJ

Jo Craven McGinty

@mcjomcg

1 year ago

There’s a Blood Moon Rising. How to Watch the Total Lunar Eclipse. Late Thursday into the wee hours of Friday, skywatchers across North America can see the moon turn red for the first time since 2022

A “blood moon” will rise Thursday night into early Friday, giving skywatchers across the U.S. a view of the moon turning red during a total lunar eclipse. Here's what you need to know to see it. @aylinwoodward.bsky.social reports for #WSJScienceShorts www.wsj.com/science/spac... via @wsj.com

Jo Craven McGinty

@mcjomcg

1 year ago

New Tomb of Ancient Pharaoh Uncovered in Egypt Some mysteries remain: The tomb was empty, and the location of the mummy is in dispute.

For the first time in a century, Egyptologists have uncovered a pharaoh’s tomb in Luxor, the final resting place of King Tut. It belonged to Thutmose II. @aylinwoodward.bsky.social reports for #WSJScienceShorts www.wsj.com/arts-culture... via @wsj.com

Jo Craven McGinty

@mcjomcg

1 year ago

Newly Discovered Jurassic Bird Rewrites History A quail-size fossil uncovered in China suggests birds evolved millions of years earlier than previously thought.

A newly discovered quail-size Jurassic bird changes the evolutionary timeline. The fossil suggests birds evolved millions of years earlier than previously thought. Liyan Qi reports for #WSJScienceShorts www.wsj.com/science/dino... via @wsj.com

Jo Craven McGinty

@mcjomcg

1 year ago

Ancient Rome Was So Polluted With Lead That IQs Dropped Airborne particles from minting coins damaged health, a new study says, and might have contributed to the Roman Empire’s downfall.

Air pollution from minting coins in ancient Rome lowered IQs and might have contributed to the downfall of the Roman Empire, according to new research @aylinwoodward.bsky.social reports for #WSJScienceShorts www.wsj.com/science/envi... via @wsj.com