In Case You Missed It

WESTERN PACIFIC OCEAN

A series of seismometers was recently set along the steep slopes of the Mariana Trench to study whether it could trigger large earthquakes.

U.S.

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Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, and San Diego State University will gather high-speed video this month or next to study kangaroo rats' acrobatic escapes from rattlesnakes.

CANADA

Carbon dating of animal bone fragments in caves in the Yukon has revealed human occupation of North America 24,000 years ago—about 10,000 years earlier than previous studies suggested.

NIGERIA

Malnutrition has nearly wiped out the population of children younger than five in the state of Borno, reports say.* Starvation has weakened the immune systems of infants and toddlers in particular, making them more susceptible to virulent cases of measles, pneumonia and malaria.

NETHERLANDS

Designers are testing loads on a new biocomposite bridge. Made of hemp and flax fibers held together by resin, the bridge spans a stream on the Eindhoven University of Technology campus.

SAUDI ARABIA

Inventors at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology have created a low-cost digital personal fitness tracker similar to a Fitbit, with sensors made of household items such as aluminum foil and sponges.

*Editor's Note (5/10/17): This sentence from the print article was edited after it was posted online. The original did not clearly state this occurrence was limited to the Nigerian state of Borno.

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