MI weekly selection #385
Deep-sea fish stay hidden thanks to ultrablack skin
At least 16 species of deep-sea fish have been discovered so far with ultrablack colouring that helps them stay hidden in dark water. The ultrablack color reflects less than 0.5% of light and pigment cells are packed tightly together with little or no gaps.
Campfire-like flares seen in new images of sun
NASA and the European Space Agency have released the closest-ever images of the sun, taken by the Solar Orbiter. The images show relatively small flares that resemble campfires. “These campfires are totally insignificant each by themselves, but summing up their effect all over the sun, they might be the dominant contribution to the heating of the solar corona,” says astronomer Frederic Auchere.
Sea turtles’ navigation isn’t perfect
Green sea turtles, which feed in one area and breed in another, can make mistakes when traveling between sites. Researchers attached GPS trackers to 33 female turtles and charted their movements over several migrations, noting that “their navigation is crude,” says study author Nicole Esteban.
Putting pencil to paper yields novel way to monitor health
A significant amount of energy is conducted when a pencil containing 93% graphite is moved across a piece of paper, and pencil-drawn electrodes on a piece of paper attached to the skin with spray-on adhesive could be used to measure blood glucose levels, heart rate and skin temperature. Such a device could be used at home, in schools and to collect patient data for research.
Bones offer clues to class differences in Middle Ages
A chemical analysis of bones from Denmark and Italy dating to the Middle Ages hints at differences between noble families and common people regardless of location. “The results show that there are distinct similarities in the trace element distribution patterns in the noble family members irrespective of country, which is tentatively suggested to be due to their higher social status,” says the study.