The BBC article claims the victim “fell afoul of the suction system,” but some think that claim is either incorrect or raises more questions than answers. According to Charles Iliff, president of Iliff Aircraft Repair and Services, vacuum pump toilets (like the kind used on airplanes), don’t produce nearly enough suction to trap someone. And even if the suction did draw in the victim’s hand, the suction would stop shortly thereafter, allowing the victim to remove his arm....

The robo-squirrel can imitate a few squirrelly motions, and she also stocked it with a number of realistic sounds that she and her team can activate via remote control. In one experiment, they planted Rocky in the midst of real squirrels, had the robot “bark,” and set his tail through a series of motions meant to indicate danger. Then they studied how the other squirrels in the area responded. Rocky isn’t the only robo-squirrel, and there are plenty of other researchers using mechanical animals to learn more about the real thing....

It’s Anne Schuchat’s job to take on this last group of misinformationists—and help the public understand the science of disease. As deputy director at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Schuchat has battled the anti-vaccer position on Capitol Hill. When asked at a February 2015 Senate hearing if there exists scientific evidence between vaccines and what the deniers call clear links to mental illness, she flatly said, “No.” When the health committee cited a scholarly paper purporting to prove the link, and being widely circulated online, she called the research “fraudulent” and “totally discredited....

Gingerich is the co-author of a study published yesterday in the journal PLoS One that describes the discovery and analysis of the skeletal remains of Pachycetus paulsonii, Pachycetus wardii, and Antaecetus aithai, ancient whales from a new whale genus called Antaecetus. These whales lived during the middle Eocene era (roughly 40 million years ago) in present-day Europe, North America, and Africa. Early in the Eocene, India began its collision with the rest of the Asian continent, forming the Himalayan Mountains....

Splitview is a dashboard-mounted display screen that allows driver and passenger to view two different images simultaneously. Here’s how it works: The eight-inch active matrix, backlit color monitor nests a second image feed on adjacent pixels. A masking filter divides the combined image such that, depending on seating position, only one set of the pixels can be seen. With Splitview, the driver has access to information from Mercedes’s control and display system, called COMAND, on the display, while the front passenger can use a remote control to watch DVDs, TV channels or music videos, though the car’s speakers or via headphones....

These MVPs spend more time swimming around their mangrove homes than other members of the same species. The busy fish spread more nitrogen around during their wanderings, fertilizing the mangrove trees and algae growing on their roots so they can grow lush and feed the fish, crabs, and other animals that people depend on in turn. “There are certain individuals that really do have disproportionate roles in the cycling and distribution of nutrients in these [ecosystems],” says Jacob Allgeier, a coastal ecologist at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and coauthor of the new study....

When asteroids and other space rocks hit the lunar surface, the collision forms an impact crater remains intact for billions of years. The moon doesn’t have weather like rain or wind or storms that can cover up the hole left behind, so the holes just stay on there. NASA believes that some of the moon’s craters have water and ice, which will be a necessary resource in the deep space missions planned over the next several years....

Research has shown interacting with potted plants can make us feel less stressed, and some greenery can add character to a room or make a gray cubicle just a little less sterile. If you’re worried your thumb is more black than green, we’ve got a guide to hardy starter plants. For those a little more experienced, check out this story to make sure your plants are set up to thrive....

Since then, survivors and historians have suspected that the remains of those slain were buried secretly in mass graves. Now, archaeologists have discovered evidence pointing to the possible location of two of these graves, the Washington Post reported on Monday. It’s impossible to know what lies under the ground unless the city decides to excavate the site. If a mass grave is discovered, however, it will have much to tell forensic archaeologists....

Quantum mechanics represents a relatively new arena of physics focused on the mysterious atomic and subatomic properties of particles. Much of the research dwells on individual conditions and reactions; however, some experts theorize that two or more, say, photons can share the same state while keeping their distance from each other. If so, an expert can analyze the first sample and assume what the second, third, or fourth ones might be like....

Locusts are herbivores, but the team of international researchers who developed this new theory observed young locusts attacking and eating each other when food runs short. The immature insects are not yet able to fly and so cannot escape. This induces panic and causes them to band together for strength in numbers against the cannibals among them. The researchers surmised they continue that momentum into adulthood when they take to the air....

A new test used by the French Anti-Doping Agency recently detected CERA, a next-generation erythropoietic-stimulating agent, in samples from the 2008 Tour de France. The IOC holds its samples for up to eight years, keeping them subject to re-testing any time the labs catch up with what’s on the street. The IOC has yet to determine how many of the more than 5,000 samples they’ll test, but they will likely focus on endurance events where CERA would provide a benefit....

Our genetic tinkering, says a new study in today’s issue of Science, has left a dark legacy on modern wolves. Thanks to our domestication efforts, many North American wolves now have black and not their typical silver coats. Paradoxically, the trait may help wolves cope as we tinker with their natural habitat. The international team of researchers argues that the trait of black fur was passed to North American wolf populations as they mated with domestic dogs, perhaps those that belonged to the first Native Americans....

The Super Bowl has always been more than just a game—it’s been an excuse to have friends over, load up on snacks and beverages, and have a great time even if you don’t know (or don’t care) who’s playing. Like the NFL itself, the Super Bowl party can go on, it just needs to make a few key adjustments and modifications. So to celebrate Super Bowl LV on February 7th in the best way possible given the circumstances, you’ll need to take it outside, keep your distance, and possibly revamp your home entertainment capabilities....

The language is heavily used in computer science, data analysis, and server-side web development, as it allows for “high-level built-in data structures, dynamic typing and binding, and object-oriented programming.” It doesn’t look like Python will be overtaken by other languages soon, making now the ideal time to learn more about it. With the Advanced Python Masterclass and Automation Training Bundle, you can get the opportunity to be trained by experts, and you even get to dictate how much to pay for training....

Ever since the last space shuttle landed in 2011, the crewed U.S. space program has been stranded without a ride to the International Space Station (ISS). NASA has rockets, but without a capsule capable of carrying astronauts the agency has resorted to purchasing seats on the Roscosmos’s Soyuz capsule—recently for 82 million dollars each. Eager to regain independent, affordable access to space, NASA has paid two private U.S. companies to develop crewed capsules for them....

One land iguana species is the critically endangered Galápagos Pink Land Iguana (Conolophus marthae), which is only found on Isabela Island, one of the 13 major islands in the archipelago. First discovered in 1986 and identified as a new species in 2009, there are only about 200 to 300 of these photogenic reptiles on the Isabela Island. For the first time since scientists found the species, hatchling and juvenile populations of the Galápagos Pink Iguana have been found....

This 3D astronaut brain teaser puzzle has 517 pieces and is apparently no walk in the park—or on the moon. $15. This large (32″ x 19.2″ x 6″) Batman puzzle includes unseen areas of Gotham City, with streets that glow in the dark. There are 1,200 bottom-layer pieces that create the map of Gotham, over 300 top layer pieces like buildings and locations, and an LED Bat Signal atop the Gotham City Police Department....

Unfortunately, we can’t just send a bunch of wooden planks and roofing shingles to Mars. That would be crazy expensive, and probably not all that protective against the radiation that constantly bombards Mars’ surface. Instead, we’ll have to use materials at hand. That’s why scientists at Northwestern University are whipping up batches of concrete made from ‘martian’ soil–and it doesn’t even require any precious water. To make their martian concrete, doctoral candidate Lin Wan and colleagues heated up sulfur—a common component on Mars—past its melting point of 240 degrees Fahrenheit, then mixed in a simulated Martian soil....