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Flies make the best spies. A rare blow fly in Morocco mimics termites to mooch off their nests. - Fly larvae wear a “termite mask” on their back - Breathing holes double as false eyes - Chemical signatures mimic termite scents to avoid detection

submitted 5 days ago • 1 comment

Dancing sea turtles navigate Earth’s magnetic field for food. Researchers used the turtles’ anticipatory meal dance to test their magnetic navigation. - Captive loggerhead sea turtles dance when expecting food - Flapping in circles as their heads raises above the water

submitted 5 days ago • 1 comment

Gold could change how we treat obesity. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) outperformed orlistat in treating obesity in rats. - Orlistat = commonly used anti-obesity drug - AuNPs reduced body fat by 36% over 9 weeks - No effect on muscle mass

submitted 5 days ago • 1 comment

Anyone know how to repair a sound barrier? Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 broke it three times on a test flight. - Reached Mach 1.1 (~730mph) at 35,390 ft. - Fast enough to fly from NYC to LA in ~3 hours - XB-1 = test vehicle for passenger plane (Overture)

submitted 17 days ago • 1 comment

Greasy polar bears are waaay ahead of most humans in winterization. Researchers identified how these snowy giants keep the ice off. - Polar bear fur is coated in sebum - Sebum = hydrophobic greasy coating - Washing the hair removed sebum and allowed ice to stick

submitted 17 days ago • 1 comment

Non-addictive pain medication is here. The FDA approved Journavx, Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ non-opioid painkiller. - Pronounced: jour-nav-x - Blocks NaV1.8 sodium channel - Stops pain signals at the PNS (peripheral nervous system)

submitted 17 days ago • 1 comment

Welcome to casualSTEM! Glad you could join the party 🥳 Delivering brief and informative summaries of the latest science news every Saturday. Full of jokes, silly polls, and a cartoon! See for yourself with some of the best issues featured below 👇

submitted 17 days ago • 1 comment