Who won this years' Nobel prizes in Chemistry and Physics? Could blocking out the sun be a way to halt global warming? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of Oct 7 - Oct 13, 2019 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm

In this week's best and brightest from the world of science news, explore how speculative conclusions and media hype have led to some very wrong articles about mosquito transgenics, and how the gene-editing technique CRISPR may help tackle loss of biodiversity. ScienceSeeker editors' favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise also cover many other important and exciting topics. Why not have a read, inform yourself, and indulge your scientific curiosity?

• The 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry: The batteries that power our phones and laptops by Andy Brunning at Compound Interest.



Though Lithium-ion batteries are so common we don't even notice them, the science behind them has won this year's Nobel prize for Chemistry.
Credit: Andy Brunning via CompundChem (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

• Nobel prize in physics for discovery of exoplanet orbiting a star by Donna Lu for New Scientist.
• The Milky Way’s supermassive black hole reached record brightness this year by Emily Conover for Science News magazine.
• Podcast: How did water get on earth? by Sabrina Stierwalt for Everyday Einstein.
• Collider Physics – The art of smashing particles by Sam Henry at Particle Physics Gadgeteering. 
• Can we stave off global warming by blocking out the sun? by Greg Fish for World of Weird Things.
• How fast will seas rise? A dying Greenland glacier holds clues by Paul Voosen for Science magazine.
• Can the gene editing technology known as CRISPR help reduce biodiversity loss worldwide? by Becky Mackelprang at Ensia.
• A catastrophic power outage darkens California while horny spiders invade by Cassie Freund at Massive Science.
• This microbe is spreading antibiotic resistance to other bacteria by Sali Morris and James S. Horton for The Conversation UK.
• Size does not matter: 21 sick from Salmonella linked to pet turtles by Doug Powell at Barfblog.
• GM mosquitoes for insect population control: when speculative conclusions meet hyped journalism by Kostas Vavitsas for PLOS Synbio Community blog.
• Could Immunotherapy Treat Diseases Besides Cancer? by Karen Weintraub at Scientific American.
• In rats, treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning comes from bright light by Megan Thielking for STATnews.
• Xenophobic one minute, tolerant the next: humans are strange primates  by Christian Jarrett for Aeon Ideas.
• Sleep deprivation shuts down production of essential brain proteins by Emily Willingham for Scientific American.
• The neuroscience of psychopathy by Robert Walsh at The Neuroscience Blog.
• Why do neuroscientists study weird animals?: A primer on neuroethology by Jess Haley at Neuwrite.
• Book review: two new guides to academic life by Inger Mewburn at The Thesis Whisperer.

Check back next week for more great picks!

How may have the female orgasm evolved? Why shouldn't you be too upset to have parasites? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of Sept 30 - Oct 6, 2019 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm

In this week's most important and topical posts from the world of science news, explore the neurological reward mechanisms that make mourning a part of the healing process, and read about how Brexit may be bad for minorities' mental health. ScienceSeeker editors' favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise also cover many other important and exciting topics. Why not have a read, inform yourself, and indulge your scientific curiosity?

• Some people with anxiety may actively resist relaxation in favor of worrying, according to new research by Science Beta.

When you're worried, taking action may make you feel like you'll be less worried in future, which can lead to those who need rest most avoiding it.
Credit: jeet_sen via Flickr (CC BY-ND 2.0)

• Let’s talk about climate grief and anxiety by Juanita Constible for NRDC.
• Is mourning rewarding? (revisited) by The Neurocritic.
• When people close to us behave immorally, we are inclined to protect them — even if their crimes are particularly heinous by Matt Warren for BPS Research Digest. 
• “Concerns have been expressed about the potential negative impact of Brexit on the mental health of Black and Minority Ethnic people.” by Paul Biegler for Cosmos magazine.
• Starting a PhD… at 58 years old? by Dr Catherine Racine at The Thesis Whisperer.
• 3 ways to shape math into a positive experience by Kara Newhouse for KQED News.
• What will win the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics? by  Chad Orzel at Forbes.
• Six reasons why you should give parasites a break by My Science Game.
• Rare zebra foal with polka dots spotted in Kenya by GrrlScientist.
• How are amber teething necklaces supposed to work? by Kat Day at The Chronicle Flask.
• How mothers help build the immune systems of their children during pregnancy by Mass General Research Institute.
• Female orgasm may have evolved from a trigger for ovulation  by Clare Wilson for New Scientist.
• Double protostar caught in process of forming by Sci-News.com.
• Has Google actually achieved ‘Quantum Supremacy’ with its new Quantum Computer? by Ethan Siegel at Starts With A Bang.

Check back next week for more great picks!

What lessons can we learn from the face-eating cancer decimating Tasmanian devils? Why do old people hate new music? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of Sept 23 - Sept 29, 2019 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In this week's bumper edition of the best stories from the world of science news, discover why whales don't have saliva and get in-the-know about the THC vaping brands that are causing lung problems in the USA. ScienceSeeker editors' favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise also cover many other important and exciting topics. Why not have a read, inform yourself, and indulge your scientific curiosity?

• Tassie devils hold clue to how cancer conceals itself by Paul Biegler for Cosmos magazine.

  

  The aggressive facial cancer responsible for the decimation of the Tasmanian devil population provides clues as to how human cancers hide themselves.
  Credit: John via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

• Why don’t whales have saliva? by Stephen Fleischfresser for Cosmos magazine.
• Keeping wild meat on the table by Barbara Fraser for CIFOR Forest News.
• Salty about coastal walls by Mary Grace Lemon for Envirobites.
• Hunting for a cure: Huntington’s Disease (Part two) by Madeeha Hoque for Seeking Science.
• Step away from the immunosuppressant drugs — antibodies are on the case! by Sukalp Muzumdar for Massive Science.
• Dank Vapes, TKO and other THC vaping brands are linked to illnesses, C.D.C. says by Denise Grady for the New York Times.
• U.S. alerts travelers to Tanzania about possible unreported Ebola by Helen Branswell for STAT news.
• Which artificial sweetener is the safest? by Sean Lim at The Skeptical Chemist.
• How collaboration unlocks learning and lessens student isolation by Mindshift at KQED News.
• Curious kids: Why do old people hate new music? by Frank T. McAndrew for The Conversation UK.
• Positive reinforcement using operant conditioning by Maze Engineers.
• Behavioral outcomes in rodents from CRISPR gene-editing by Ana Zdravic at Maze Engineers
• We can talk about climate change with stories of kindness, fairytales, and hope by Maryam Zaringhalam for Massive Science.
• Don’t axe forests – make them edible by Jagannath Adhikari for Cosmos magazine.
• New studies warn of cataclysmic solar superstorms by Jonathan O'Callaghan for Scientific American.
• Was dark matter really created before the Big Bang? by Ethan Siegel at Starts With A Bang.
• Space-tolerant Micronauts by Alise Muok and Ariane Briegel at Small Things Considered.
• TESS spots its first tidal disruption event by Sci-News.com.
• A strange new type of crystal is made of fluid tied into knots by Leah Crane for New Scientist.
• Quantum computer bests all conventional computers in first claim of ‘supremacy’ by Adrian Cho for Science magazine.
• Photograph this by Matthew Partridge at ErrantScience.

Check back next week for more great picks!

Could eating urchins help reverse ecosystem collapse? How does origami inspire shape-shifting electronics? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of Sept 16 - Sept 22, 2019 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In this week's roundup of the creme de la creme of science news, find out why Acid and Coke are a dangerous combination for marine life, and explore the most massive neutron star ever discovered. ScienceSeeker editors' favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise also cover many other important and exciting topics. Why not have a read, inform yourself, and indulge your scientific curiosity?

• Eating urchins: Can gourmet diners reverse the collapse of an ecosystem? by Alastair Bland for Hakai magazine.

  

  Urchins can be voracious and invasive predators, but a new food craze may be the answer to controlling the problem.
  Credit: walknboston via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

• The decline of nature’s song by Ian Connellan for Cosmos magazine.
• Acid and Coke: A dangerous combo for marine life by Jess Mackie for Hakai Magazine.
• ‘From possibility to certainty’: Climate strikers seek action to avert disaster by Imelda Abano for Mongabay.com.
• As climate crisis deepens, wildlife adapts, maybe with lessons for us by Mongabay.com.
• A fluke find: Uncovering an evolutionary oddity in the guts of herbivorous fish by Miklos Bolza at Lab Down Under.
• Pterosaurs were monsters of the Mesozoic skies by By Michael B. Habib for Scientific American.
• One in 16 US women were forced into having sex for the first time by Clare Wilson for New Scientist.
• A newly identified protein may be the key to vanquishing the common cold by Simon Makin for Scientific American.
• This simple structure unites all human languages by David Adger for Nautilus magazine.
• Origami inspires shape-shifting microelectronics by Laurie Winkless.
• Can we make nanoparticles more sustainable? by Joe Buchman at Sustainable Nano.
• What happens when we dance our data? by Victoria Palacin, Laura Perovich, Rosalie Norris Rahul Bhargava for MIT Center for Civic Media.
• How fast is the universe expanding? Incompatible answers point to new physics by Ethan Siegel at Starts With A Bang.
• Astronomers find most massive neutron star ever discovered by Sci-News.com.
• Weighing in: Physicists cut upper limit on neutrino’s mass in half  by Jennifer Ouellette at Ars Technica.
• Veil of dust from ancient asteroid breakup may have cooled Earth by Joshua Sokol for Science magazine.

Check back next week for more great picks!

Does the discovery of water on a habitable-zone planet mean we've found Earth 2.0? What weird bubbles have been found at the centre of the Galaxy? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of Sept 9 - Sept 15, 2019 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In this week's selection of the best articles and posts from the world of science news, find out why bees are getting punched to make ice cream, and explore the risk of oil spills from long-forgotten sunken ships. ScienceSeeker editors' favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise also cover many other important and exciting topics. Why not have a read, inform yourself, and indulge your scientific curiosity?

• There is a pair of weird, gigantic bubbles at the centre of our galaxy by Leah Crane for New Scientist.

  

  The bubbles are just visible as the smoky smudges above and below the bright central line of the galaxy.
  Credit: Caption - New Scientist, Image - South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (CC BY-ND 3.0)
• First water detected in the atmosphere of a habitable-zone planet by John Timmer for Ars Technica.
• Draw your own circuits with liquid metal by Charlie Crowe at Chembites.
• Guest post by Dan Wallace: A machine learning system playing a game to super-human levels, using only plastic boxes and beads by Dan Wallace for Dr. Mirjam S. Glessmer's blog.
• Small sea lions with big personalities by Bethany Augliere for Hakai magazine.
• The four faces of Twitter user’s activity around science by Adrián A. Díaz-Faes for Elephant in the Lab.
• This bee gets punched by flowers for your ice cream by Gabriela Quirós for KQED Science.
• A kangaroo unlike those we know by Ian Connellan for Cosmos magazine.
• Extinction, empathy, endings, beginnings by Tamsin Edwards at All Models Are Wrong, a PLOSOne blog.
• As shipwrecks rust, oil spills are imminent by Chloe Williams for Hakai magazine.
• Hachimoji DNA: The eight-letter genetic code by Tent Tangpradabkul at Gem-net blog.
• New proto-dinosaur found in Colorado by Brian Switek for Scientific American.
• How the body’s nerves become accomplices in the spread of cancer by Kelly Servick for Science magazine.
• Experimenting with Resilience: Lessons from Grad School by Susanna Harris for Promega Connections.
• Crowdsourcing sharks: a citizen science success story by Alina Spera for Envirobites.

Check back next week for more great picks!