Eggs on demand
Firing lasers at transparent worms makes them lay eggs on cue. Researchers engineered the worm Caenorhabditis elegans to contain light-sensitive proteins in its cell membranes, which were then used to control the nerves involved in egg laying (Nature Methods, DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1554). Similar technology could one day be used to treat blindness or spinal injuries.
Hello Galaxy X
A massive companion to the Milky Way may lurk unseen behind clouds of dust. Sukanya Chakrabarti of the University of California, Berkeley, and colleagues inferred the presence of "Galaxy X" by the way it disturbs dust clouds in our galaxy. They hope to use the Spitzer space telescope's infrared vision to peer through the dust at the galaxy.
Wet future for Bangkok
Sea levels in the Gulf of Thailand are rising at around 4 millimetres per year, far faster than the global average of 1.8 mm per year ...
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