Scientific record breakers of the year

Ancient "smellscapes"

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12/12/22 Thank you for subscribing to The Cheat Sheet, from Science News Explores. If you like this newsletter, share it with a friend or colleague. Did someone forward this to you? Sign up for our weekly updates. Got questions, suggestions or comments? Email us at sns@sciencenews.org and put “The Cheat Sheet” in the subject line. We’d love to hear from you. Inside Science News Explores With 2022 drawing to a close, we’re looking back on some of the coolest discoveries and innovations of the year — including developments that shattered previous scientific records. Here are a few of this year’s standout milestones: At nearly 13 billion light-years from Earth, a star called Earendel may be the most distant ever seen — smashing the previous record by 4 billion light-years.  Meanwhile, a black hole that lurks just 1,500 light-years from Earth is now the closest known of these cosmic monsters. A half donkey, half wild ass creature that was bred in ancient Syria 4,500 years ago is now the earliest known humanmade hybrid.  In modern technology news, the Frontier supercomputer set a world record for speed, performing more than a quintillion calculations per second.  The world’s biggest fish colony was discovered off the coast of Antarctica, spanning an area larger than Washington, D.C.  And not to be outdone, microbiologists identified discovered an eyelash-sized cell that is now the biggest known bacterium.  A New Magazine for Kids Learn more and subscribe to Science News Explores, a new magazine designed to satisfy young readers’ curiosity about how the world works.      SUBSCRIBE NOW   Catch up with the latest from Science News Explores Mars might still be volcanically active, quakes there suggest: Seismic rumblings picked up by NASA’s InSight lander hint at molten rock moving deep below the planet’s fractured surface. Readability: 8.1 Resources: power words, alternate version at Science News Cars hit more deer in the week after daylight saving time ends: In the days right after most Americans turn back the clock, vehicle crashes with deer increase by 16 percent, a new study shows. Readability: 6.9 Resources: power words, alternate version at Science News Splatoon characters’ ink ammo was inspired by real octopuses and squid: In Nintendo’s Splatoon game series, Inklings and Octolings duke it out with weapons that fire ink. How does this ink compare with that of real octopuses and squid? Readability: 7.6  Resources: power words Long-lost ‘smellscapes’ are wafting from artifacts and old: By studying and reviving old scents, archaeologists are finding new clues about how ancient Egyptians experienced their world through smell. Readability: 7.8 Resources: power words, classroom questions, word find, alternate version at Science News A tool as small as a human cell can scan for contaminants and more: Tiny spectrometers might someday show up on smart devices. They could help people scan for ingredients or contaminants in foods and other materials. Readability: 8.0  Resources: power words, word find, video Scientists Say: Fluorescence: This property causes materials — including some animals’ skin, fur or feathers — to glow under light. Readability: 7.7 Resources: power words, audio recording Science News Learning A new educator guide from Science News Learning accompanies our Science News Explores story on how insect swarms generate electricity. In this lesson plan, students explore how insect-induced static electricity might affect the atmosphere, review the concepts of electric charge and electrostatic force and more. In a quick activity, students also create a poem or song about serendipity in science. (Science News Learning, like Science News Explores, is part of the Society for Science.)   Find out more about the resources available for using Science News Explores stories for learning. And if you like this newsletter, please share it with a friend or colleague. Did someone share this with you? Subscribe to this newsletter here. If you’ve got questions, suggestions or comments, email us at sns@sciencenews.org. Thank you for reading! Privacy policy  |  Update Profile  | Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe This email was sent by: Society for Science 1719 N Street NW Washington, DC, 20036, US