New Scientist - News

1. Common chemical in drinking water hasn't been tested for safety
   Chloramine is used as a disinfectant in drinking water systems from the US to Australia. Research now shows it breaks down into a compound that may have negative health impacts
2. Worm-like fossil is the oldest ancestor of spiders and crustaceans
   Arthropods belong to an evolutionary branch – the ecdysozoa – that contains about half of all animal species, and the earliest fossil evidence of the group dates back 550 million years
3. Chimpanzees seem to get more technologically advanced through culture
   Groups of wild chimpanzees with more complex tool-using behaviours tend to be genetically linked, providing evidence for cumulative culture in other apes
4. Brainwave experiment shows minke whales have ultrasonic hearing
   In the first hearing test of live baleen whales, the animals detected much higher frequency sounds than expected, forcing researchers to reconsider how these mammals respond to predators – and humans
5. World's thinnest spaghetti won't please gourmands but may heal wounds
   Spaghetti strands that are 200 times thinner than a human hair could be woven into bandages to help prevent infections
6. Iceland’s Reykjanes volcanic eruption captured in stunning drone shots
   A new volcanic eruption has occurred on Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula, the seventh this year
7. A sliver of lab-grown wood has been made from stem cells
   Growing wood directly from stem cells could offer an alternative to cutting threatened hardwood trees, but it isn't clear if it has same properties as actual wood
8. We've taken a photo of a star in another galaxy for the first time
   Using four telescopes linked together, astronomers have captured an astonishing image of a huge star more than 160,000 light years away
9. Nectar-loving Ethiopian wolves may be the first carnivore pollinators
   Endangered Ethiopian wolves feed on the nectar of red hot poker plants, and may transport pollen from flower to flower as they do so
10. Robotic pigeon reveals how birds fly without a vertical tail fin
    A flying robot uses its bird-like tail to maintain stability in flight – a technique that could enable more aerodynamic aircraft designs that use less fuel