We Mapped the Latest Science, in Case You Missed It

A replica of the famous Lascaux Cave’s ice age artwork has opened after the original was closed to the public

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CANADA

Researchers at the University of Toronto announced that they have recovered the world's oldest water. Found in a mine at a depth of nearly three kilometers, the liquid dates to at least two billion years ago.

U.S.


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The U.S. Office of Naval Research demonstrated the latest version of its “drone” boats in the Chesapeake Bay off Virginia. The navy hopes to use the unmanned, autonomous craft—which are not yet ready for deployment—to escort ships, conduct surveillance and carry out other missions.

FRANCE

In 1963 Lascaux, a cave with magnificent ice age artwork painted on its walls, was closed to the public. A replica of the entire cave—its chambers, animal paintings, humidity and all—recently opened near the original in southwestern France. The project has been six years in the making.

SWITZERLAND

In a world's first, physicists at CERN near Geneva measured how much light antimatter absorbs. The atoms are notoriously difficult to work with given that, by definition, they annihilate matter.

GUINEA

A clinical trial of a new Ebola vaccine wrapped up with 100 percent effectiveness. It has not yet received regulatory approval—and it may not be effective for all strains of the virus—but Merck has already begun stockpiling the vaccine in case of another outbreak.

Scientific American Magazine Vol 316 Issue 3This article was published with the title “Quick Hits” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 316 No. 3 (), p. 22
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0317-22

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