Flatfish are anatomical disasters that stumped Charles Darwin himself. NOVA Next contributor Ferris Jabr reports on new research that’s answering centuries-old questions about the freaky flatfish, “an asymmetrical anomaly from the inside out.”
In other news from NOVA and around the web:
- What is gravity made of? The answer reveals the Big Bang’s hidden secrets. Watch our video.
- By sewing two mice together, scientists may have found a way to reverse aging.
- Stephen Hawking says artificial intelligence could be our “worst mistake in history.”
- We’re already experiencing the effects of climate change, says the National Climate Assessment. Fortunately, there’s something you can do about it.
- For some birds, exposure to radiation appears to be a kind of “unnatural selection” driving evolutionary change.
- A 3D-printed ultrasound cast could revolutionize the healing process.
- Scientists hope to expand this IceCube neutrino detector to 10 times its current size.
- This butterfly has both male and female wings.
- On Sept. 13, 1848, at around 4:30 pm, a rod shot through Phineas Gage’s head. He lived, but his life would never be the same. Here’s the real story behind one of neuroscience’s most famous patients.
- Life has always been written with just four letters: A, T, C, G. Now, scientists have more letters to play with.
- It’s not obvious why babies cry so frequently, particularly at night. A new theory proposes that babies disrupt the peace to prevent their mothers from getting pregnant again.
- Can fossils of inflation provide quantum gravity clues?
- A new self-repairing plastic patches up holes by imitating human veins and arteries.
- Agua Caliente is the largest photovoltaic solar power facility in the world. It’s comprised of more than five million solar panels and spans the equivalent of two Central Parks.