Although political leaders have closed borders in response to COVID-19, scientists are collaborating like never before. But the coronavirus (SARS-COV-2) is novel–and we don’t yet have all the facts about it. As a result, we may have to change our approach as new scientific data comes in. That doesn’t mean the science isn’t trustworthy–we will get the full picture over time. And there is already great research that can help inform political decisions....

In 2014, archaeologist Anita Radini was studying the dental calculus of bodies buried in a medieval church. This hardened plaque, or tartar, is the bane of a modern dentist’s existence, but it’s crucial evidence for researchers peering into the past. While other body parts disintegrate, teeth often stubbornly remain, and the chemical components of these pearly whites can offer a glimpse into our daily lives. At the time, Radini was scraping old teeth in pursuit of calcified starches, a useful proxy for diet....

Researchers recently identified nine previously unknown species of these opalescent bugs, showcased in detailed macrophotography by biologist James Dorey (the photographs and their findings were described this week in the journal Zootaxa). In addition to the nine new species, Dorey and his colleagues also redescribed four known species of native bees, locating new specimens and updating their descriptions with a more current sense of their geographic diversity. All of these new and recently updated bees belong to the same genus, Homalictus....

The jumping spider Toxeus magnus lives in China and Taiwan. Its appearance mimics that of an ant, but it’s parental behavior is surprisingly mammalian. The mother spider cares for the newborn spiderlings for up to 20 days—a long time for a critter whose entire lifespan is just six months to a year. During these first 20 days, she secretes a white fluid that’s rich in sugars and proteins, from its abdomen....

Intrigued by what you hear you could hear? Well, this might perk up your ears even more: a pair of KEF LS50 Wireless II speakers is currently only $2,299—$500 less than the $2,799 you’d regularly pay. This price is only good while supplies last on Monday, April 4, however, so act fast. While shown in Mineral White above (we’re currently testing that pair and look forward to sharing even more impressions), you can also choose from Carbon Black, Titanium Grey, and Crimson Red finishes....

Some parts of this aren’t all that surprising. The location is where North Korea conducted its last two tests–one in 2006 and one in 2009–and its right next to a known nuclear test facility. What is surprising, and a little funny, is some of the user-generated data associated with the site. Without an official North Korean name to plug in to the maps, Google users in the country (like someone who wanted to bring attention to nuclear activity) are open to suggest their own, and sure enough, nearby is “Nuclear Test Rd....

The idea is somewhat akin to time-delayed pills: by creating a polymer that dissolves slowly, engineers can release a medication at a lower dose over time, rather than having all of the active ingredient hit your bloodstream at once. Right now, though, most of those medicines are limited to efficacy periods of a few hours or days. The team developing this new birth control previously stretched the limits by inventing pills that can administer anti-infectious disease meds over a period of one or two weeks....

According to NASA, Polymele was expected to pass in front of a star on March 27. This allowed the team to watch the star blink out when the asteroid briefly blocked it, a process is called occultation. These common occultation missions have been called “chasing an asteroid’s shadow” and often provide astronomers with incredibly valuable information. This particular occultation day proved to be extra special. Spreading 26 teams of both professional and amateur astronomers across the occultation path, the Lucy team planned to gather data on Polymele’s location, size, and shape, with “unprecedented precision,” while the asteroid was outlined by the star behind it....

First of all, for all of you Intactivists out there (and I know there are a lot of you round these parts), a major finding might bolster your claim that routine circumcision isn’t worth the risk. Two years ago, a study of HIV transmission in Africa was called off early by the NIH, because such stark evidence of circumcision’s benefits was emerging that it no longer seemed ethical to keep going....

What is the Tivoli Audio Model One Digital (Gen. 2)? At its heart, the Tivoli Audio Model One Digital (Gen. 2) is still a large shoebox-shaped and -sized radio. Harkening back to another era, there’s an antenna tucked discreetly in the back that you can extend and listen to your favorite digital audio broadcast (DAB+) and FM stations. Beyond that, it’s one of the best speakers for a streaming audio enthusiast....

As last month’s IPCC report made clear, even if global emissions move to a very low carbon track, we’ll likely hit 1.5ºC of surface warming by midcentury, passing a target that global leaders have set as a goal to limit the worst effects of climate change. But, in a near future world of net-zero emissions, this could be a temporary “overshoot”, and we might be able to wrangle the atmosphere back within that boundary by 2100....

The Restore debuted back at CES 2020. The company had already enjoyed considerable success with its Rest and Rest+ devices meant for helping babies and children get to sleep and stay there. Like the Rest line, the Restore mixes a diffuse, color-changing light with a speaker that can produce nebulous noise designed to help drown out real-world sounds that might otherwise disturb your slumber. The $129 Restore, however, adds some functionality, including more complex routines for bedtime and waking up....

How to set up a solar energy project where none of the residents will cry out “Not in my backyard”? Build it in a cemetery. (What the residents’ kids will say is a different story.)Researchers have found that prints left by dinosaurs on the Isle of Skye in Scotland are virtually indistinguishable from prints found in Wyoming. We are really hoping that researchers will next find signs of those little fairies that supposedly roam around Skye in Wyoming, too....

Moon-watching for birds remained much of a niche science. It works like the transit method in astronomy, in which exoplanets are measured when their silhouettes pass in front of a star. Ornithologist George Lowery started quantifying this in the 1950s, organizing massive campaigns to collect nationwide data from these lunar observations. Between twilight and dawn, Lowery’s crew would look up at the full moon and mark the pathways and flight directions and number of birds they saw....

In a recent paper the researchers describe how the 3-inch, 7-ounce cube works. Equipped with sensors that track its position, the small, squishy robot moves by deploying steel ‘tongues’ that are wound up by a motor inside the cube. The bendable steel presses against whatever surface the cube is resting on, propelling it up with a jump. With its on-board navigation, the autonomous bot can jump its way over rough terrain (a....

At the time of publishing, the scientific community was trying to figure out just what Mars was like, and photos from the Mariner 9, a NASA space orbiter, had recently revealed that the red planet was completely different than we thought. The scientific community decided that Mars was a dead planet, but the photos showed evidence of high winds, dust storms, massive geological craters that would rival the Grand Canyon, and the possibility of running water....

The discovery was made in a German hospital, not a home—an unusual setting for such a washing machine, first author Ricarda M. Schmithausen noted in a press release. The appliance was in a neonatal intensive care unit, where staff used it to launder items for both parents and babies. In 2012-2013, tests showed that some of the newborns were carrying the drug-resistant bacteria Klebsiella oxytoca, though they were not suffering from infections....

Design for the B-2 began in 1981, when America was still deep in the Cold War. Production began in 1987 and continued through to 1997. Then a few minor geopolitical events, like the complete collapse of the Soviet Union, meant that the need for an unparalleled long-range stealthy nuclear bomber was reduced. Costing roughly $1 billion dollars each in 1995, the program was drastically cut and only 21 of the bombers were ultimately made....

In any case, living sans legs is certainly one of snakes’ defining characteristics. But YouTuber Allen Pan gave snakes an evolutionary twist in a new video featured by The A.V. Club. After a previous post involving serpents, Pan got to wondering if—and how—one could construct robotic legs for snakes. Check out the full video below for a surprisingly adorable glimpse at our future cyborg snake overlords: After reminding viewers that plenty of animals receive prosthetic legs from benevolent humans all the time, Pan adds, apparently “nobody loves snakes enough to build them robot legs....