Say What?
Alkanofer \al-KAN-o-fer\ A subsurface
body made of liquid alkanes, molecules
such as methane and ethane that contain
only single-bonded carbon and hydrogen
atoms. Alkanofers are analogous to water-bearing aquifers on Earth, but are thought
to exist far, far away — beneath the
surface of Titan, one of Saturn’s moons.
Ontario Lacus (shown), the largest lake
in Titan’s southern hemisphere, might be shaped by a restless alkanofer.
Scientists reached this conclusion by comparing the lake with Namibia’s
Etosha basin, a semiarid Earthly analog. Floods and droughts, combined
with the rising and falling alkanofer, explain the footprint-shaped lake’s flat
and shallow form, scientists report in the April Icarus. — Nadia Drake
90 km
SN Online
www.sciencenews.org
SCIENCE & THE PUBLIC BLOG
A court orders FDA hearings on livestock drugs.
See “Growth-promoting
antibiotics: On the way out?”
LIFE
A birdlike dinosaur (
illustrated below) was iridescent. Read “Microraptor’s
true blue colors.”
Science Past | FROM THE ISSUE OF APRIL 21, 1962
GLENN REPORTS ON FLIGHT — The brilliant light from
the “fireball” Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. saw passing
the window of his space capsule was observed by more
than 1,400 scientists at a symposium in
Washington, D.C. A color film, showing
the astronaut in his cabin during flight,
clearly revealed reflections of the burning
chunks of retro-pack flying off the space
capsule’s heatshield. The astronaut’s
silvery suit, his face, and instruments
around him in the cabin were “washed over” with a bright
orange glow every time a chunk went past the window.
Science Future
April 28
Celebrate Astronomy Day with
stargazing, workshops and
other events nationwide. For
more information, see bit.ly/
GTe2wm
ENVIRONMENT
Deep corals were harmed
by the BP spill. Learn more
in “The farther the better
for corals after oil spill.”
May 3
An underwater archaeologist
talks about surveys of pirate
ships as part of a Science
Museum of Minnesota series
on the science and history of
pirates. See bit.ly/xAPeLZ
BODY & BRAIN
The Epstein-Barr virus
may both suppress and
promote lymphoma. See
“Tracking the viral link
to lymphoma.”
How Bizarre
Copepods may be tiny, but they can leap predatory fish
in a single bound. Researchers used cameras to record
two species of these crustaceans — which don’t get much
bigger than 3 millimeters long — vaulting distances up
to 60 times their own body length. Copepods can clear
the water’s surface with these jumps and reach speeds
of almost a meter per second. An aerial escape carries
them above and beyond the visual range of predators
while expending
one-twentieth the
energy it would take
to swim the same
distance, the team
reports online March
21 in Proceedings of
the Royal Society B.
— Allison Bohac
Air
1
2
3
Seawater
Science Stats | SEEING THE BIG PICTURE
Diameters of animal eyes (to scale)
Giant and colossal squid: 270 mm
Blue whale: 109 mm
Sperm whale: 55 mm
Sword;sh: 90 mm
Humpback whale: 61 mm
D.-E. NILSSON ET AL/CURRENT BIOLOG Y 2012
