It’s Time For… NERD NEWS!

It’s time for “Nerd News,” covering the most important news for your brain you may have missed.  Here’s a quick rundown of this week in science…

1.  Russia’s new science module docked with the Space Station yesterday.  Then out of nowhere, its thrusters fired.  So the whole station slowly started spinning out of control.It spun 45 degrees before another set of thrusters spun it back, and NASA claims the crew was never in danger.  But at the end of his shift, the flight director in Houston tweeted, “Yeehaw!  That. Was. A. Day.”

2.  In other space news:  Astronomers detected light coming from BEHIND a black hole for the first time.  Which seems impossible, but the black hole was BENDING the light.  It’s something Einstein predicted, but it’s never been confirmed until now.

3.  In animal news:  A study found puppies are born ready to interact with people.  We’ve been around them and breeding them for so long, it’s hardwired in.

4.  A geologist in Canada may have found the oldest animal fossils ever.  They’re from sea sponges that were alive 890 million years ago.  If they’re confirmed, that’s 350 million years older than the current record.

5.  The “Holy Grail” for clean energy is to come up with a battery that can store lots of electricity for days, and do it cheaply.  Now a company in Massachusetts called Form Energy may have done it.  Their new battery can hold a charge for just over four days.