How does the new COVID drug work? Why do clouds stay in the air? ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of October 18-24 2021 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In this week's best and brightest from the world of science news, find out how we can avoid being killed by an asteroid and how scientists have simulated a star exploding on Earth. 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?

• How nucleoside analogue antivirals combat COVID by Andy Brunning at Compound Interest

Molnupavir mimics the bulding blocks of the SARS-CoV-2 virus's genetic code.

Image credit: Compound Interest, used under Creative Commons CC-BY-ND 2.0 licence.

• Is the New Aspirin Advice a Medical Flip-Flop, or Just Science? by Tara Parker-Pope for The New York Times
• The Definition of Gene Therapy Has Changed by Esther Landhuis at Scientific American
• A 'dead' CRISPR might be a better CRISPR for targeting Alzheimer's by Charlotte Douglas at Massive Science
• If Clouds Are Made of Water, How Do They Stay in the Air? by Rhett Allain at Wired
• New study probes X-ray bursts from low-mass X-ray binaries s by Zhang Nannan at Physorg 
• Physicists Created a Supernova Reaction on Earth Using a Radioactive Beam by Michelle Starr at ScienceAlert
• Avoiding Big Rocks From Space – Asteroids Edition feat. Apophis by Locke at The Procrastinating Scientist 
• Rapid Climate Change Wiped Out Woolly Mammoths, Study Confirms at Sci-News.com

To indulge your curiosity even more, follow us on Facebook or Twitter for honourable mentions of great posts that didn't quite make our #SciSeekPicks list this week. Want #SciSeekPicks to help satisfy your scientific curiosity every week? Sign up here for regular notification emails.

Can mammals glow in the dark? What is Ivermectin good for? ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of October 11-17 2021 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In this week's best and brightest from the world of science news, find out whether dogs could be used to expose murderers, and the three 'simple' steps we'd need to take to colonise Mars. 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?

• Meet the springhare: the first glow-in-the-dark African mammal known to science by Shakira Browne for Massive Science.

Researchers discovered the springhare’s fluorescent abilities entirely by accident.
Credit: Olson et al. 2021 (CC BY 4.0)

• Ivermectin is a Nobel Prize-winning wonder drug – but not for COVID-19 by Jeffrey R. Aeschlimann for The Conversation US.
• Should a dog’s sniff be enough to convict a person of murder? by Peter Andrey Smith for Science magazine.
• When a stable star explodes by Chandra X-ray Observatory.
• Physicists measure neutron lifetime with unprecedented precision by Sci-News.com.
• Terraforming mars in three simple steps by Sabine Hossenfelder at Backreaction.
• Butterflies, hurricanes and... pools! by Gianluigi Filippelli for Doc Madhattan.
• Catch me if you can: The malaria parasite and the human immune system by Saraswathy Vaidyanathan for ImmunoBites.
• White pine blister rust's habitat range is changing with the climate by Ornob Alam for Massive Science.
• Ground-level ozone is a creeping threat to biodiversity by Jim Robbins for Wired.
• Kimchi-making and microbiology by Janie at Small Things Considered.
• Molnupiravir mutations by Derek Lowe at Science magazine.
• Opting out of advanced math education alters adolescents’ neural development, study finds by Beth Ellwood for PsyPost.
• Avoid this drink to improve cholesterol levels by Mina Dean for PsyBlog.
• Tired after eating? Try eating your carbs last by Matt Wang for NutriBites.

To indulge your curiosity even more, follow us on Facebook or Twitter for honourable mentions of great posts that didn't quite make our #SciSeekPicks list this week. Want #SciSeekPicks to help satisfy your scientific curiosity every week? Sign up here for regular notification emails.

What happened in the Nobels? What's new with gooey hagfish slime? ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of October 4-10 2021 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In this week's edition of the best of science news from around the world, discover what's next for mRNA vaccines after their impressive performance in COVID-19, and learn about why giant clams are bigger than ever. 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?

• First, Impressive Vaccines for Covid. Next Up: The Flu by Carl Zimmer for The New York Times
• Gain of function to build therapeutically useful viral vectors by Vincent Racaniello at Virology Blog
• The 2021 Nobel Prize in #Chemistry: Using organic molecules as effective and environmentally friendly catalysts by Andy Brunning at Compound Interest 

Click to read the details - you'll need them! 

Image credit: Compound Interest used via CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence

• What’s A Spin Glass And Why Does It Matter? The Nobel Prize In Physics 2021 by Chad Orzel at Forbes
• You Can Measure This Fundamental Quantum Constant Using LEDs by Rhett Allain for Wired
• Physicists take a key step in correcting quantum computer errors by Adrian Cho at Science
• The Safety Belt of Our Solar System by Virat Markandeya at Nautilus
• Simple Mathematical Law Predicts Movement in Cities around the World by Viviane Callier at Scientific American
• Scientists are still learning cool new things about gooey hagfish slime by Jennifer Ouellette at Ars Technica
• Giant clams are growing faster than ever. That's not a good thing by Sarah Heidmann for Massive Science

To indulge your curiosity even more, follow us on Facebook or Twitter for honourable mentions of great posts that didn't quite make our #SciSeekPicks list this week. Want #SciSeekPicks to help satisfy your scientific curiosity every week? Sign up here for regular notification emails.

How do deer pause pregnancy? How close is fusion power? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of September 26-October 3 2021 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In this week's edition of the best of science news from around the world, discover how the secret of some strange balancing stones and why so many kids may be getting COVID-19 without showing symptoms. 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?

• Physicists may have cracked the case of “Zen” stones balanced on ice pedestals by Jennifer Ouellette at Ars Technica
• How close is nuclear fusion power? by Sabine Hossenfelder at Backreaction

Sadly, fusion power is pretty far from being ready to plug into the grid

Image credit Eurofusion used via Creative Commons CC-BY-4.0 licence

• Measuring galactic emission lines with artificial neural networks by César Tomé Lopez at Mapping Ignorance
• Chemical jigsaw puzzles: how do chemists identify molecules? by Kat Day at Chronicle Flask
• Blind And Sighted People Understand Colour Similarly by Emma L. Barratt for BPS Research Digest
• Kids and COVID-19: How other coronaviruses may be giving them a leg up by Jenna Finley at Science Borealis
• Catch me if you can: The malaria parasite and the human immune system by Saraswathy Vaidyanathan at ImmunoBites 
• Our Bodies — a Weapon Against Cancer? by Mahrukh Fatima for Oncobites 
• People with sickle cell disease are less likely to get kidney transplants than those without by Danielle Llaneza at Massive Science
• Roe deer pause development of their embryos for months, and researchers just learned how by Charlotte Douglas at Massive Science

To indulge your curiosity even more, follow us on Facebook or Twitter for honourable mentions of great posts that didn't quite make our #SciSeekPicks list this week. Want #SciSeekPicks to help satisfy your scientific curiosity every week? Sign up here for regular notification emails.