Larva ant queen looks like an alien doll in trippy new microscope images

Larva ant queen looks like an alien doll in trippy new microscope images | Quick guide: Most widely used COVID-19 vaccines and how they work | UK satellite company will use SpaceX rockets after Russian ban Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( March 23, 2022 CONNECT WITH LIVESCIENCE  [Facebook]( [Twitter](  [LIVESCIENCE]( Amazing science every day [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [WEBSITE](  [] Top Science News [] [Larva ant queen looks like an alien doll in trippy new microscope images]( [Larva ant queen looks like an alien doll in trippy new microscope images]( (Idowaga et al., doi: 10.11646/ZOOTAXA.5105.2.5,CC BY 4.0) Every queen needs a crown. For the queen ant Monomorium triviale, that crown bursts and bubbles out of her head, back and abdomen while she's still a larva — leaving worker ants little confusion about who's the boss, even when the boss is a baby. M. triviale are amber-colored ants native to China, Japan and South Korea. The queen ants of the species can produce offspring by laying unfertilized eggs — no males necessary — in a process called thelytokous parthenogenesis. In fact, a new study published March 3 in the journal Zootaxa points out, no male M. triviale have ever been identified; all known M. triviale ants fit into two categories: sterile female workers and fertile queens. Full Story: [Live Science]( (3/22) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [Never Stop Learning]( From big space discoveries to ancient mysteries and future tech, our Knowledge magazines are packed with engaging, authoritative content for all ages. With expert editorial teams across history, science and technology, we have everything you need to feed your curiosity. [Subscribe today!]( ADVERTISEMENT [] COVID-19 [] [Quick guide: Most widely used COVID-19 vaccines and how they work]( [Quick guide: Most widely used COVID-19 vaccines and how they work]( (Morsa Images via Getty Images) Dozens of coronavirus vaccines entered clinical trials during 2020, and now, more than 20 different shots are being administered to people around the world. Out of the five most widely used COVID-19 vaccines, three are cleared for use in the United States. Here's a guide to how those top five vaccines work, their common side effects and how well the shots protect against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Full Story: [Live Science]( (3/22) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Russia-Ukraine War [] [UK satellite company will use SpaceX rockets after Russian ban]( [UK satellite company will use SpaceX rockets after Russian ban]( (Pavel Pavlov/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) OneWeb, a satellite company partly controlled by the U.K. government, has announced a new partnership with SpaceX after being banned from using Russian rockets following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Under the new deal, SpaceX will launch an unspecified number of OneWeb satellites later this year, adding to its growing constellation of 428 of the planned total of 648 low-Earth orbit satellites. OneWeb's program, similar to SpaceX's Starlink initiative, aims to create a mega-constellation of thousands of satellites to provide broadband internet coverage to customers around the world. Full Story: [Live Science]( (3/22) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] History & Archaeology [] [Unknown symbols written by the lost 'painted people' of Scotland unearthed]( [Unknown symbols written by the lost 'painted people' of Scotland unearthed]( (University of Aberdeen) Archaeologists in Scotland shed "genuine tears" upon discovering a stone covered with geometric carvings that the Picts, the Indigenous people of the region, designed about 1,500 years ago. The team unexpectedly found the 5.5-foot-long (1.7 meters) carved stone while doing a geophysical survey in Aberlemno, a village with Pictish roots. The stone has several geometric shapes showing abstract Pictish symbols, such as triple ovals, a comb and mirror, a crescent and double discs. Some of the carved symbols overlap, suggesting that they were carved in different time periods, the researchers said. Full Story: [Live Science]( (3/23) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Climate Change [] [Alarming heat waves hit Arctic and Antarctica at the same time]( [Alarming heat waves hit Arctic and Antarctica at the same time]( (Shutterstock) Both of Earth's polar regions recently experienced unprecedented simultaneous heat waves that caused temperatures to briefly skyrocket to never-before-seen heights in some areas. While experts say such extreme temperatures cannot be solely attributed to climate change, the unusual phenomenon is nonetheless "dramatic" and "alarming." In Antarctica on Friday (March 18), the average temperature was 8.6 degrees Fahrenheit (4.8 degrees Celsius) warmer than average, according to the Associated Press (AP). The highest recorded temperature was 44.6 F (7 C) at the coastal Zucchelli Station on Terra Nova Bay. The biggest temperature difference was recorded at Concordia Research Station, located more than 10,000 feet (3,000 m) above sea level, where researchers measured a peak temperature of 10 F minus 12.2 C), which is 70 F (nearly 40 C) above the seasonal average at the station. Elsewhere, at the Russian Vostok Station — which in 1983 experienced the world's lowest recorded temperature at minus128.6 F ( minus 89.2 C) — the temperature was 0 F (minus 17.7 C), beating the all-time highest temperature at Vostok by 27 F (15 C), according to AP. Full Story: [Live Science]( (3/22) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Your Health [] [Brain-computer interface helps patient with locked-in syndrome communicate]( [Brain-computer interface helps patient with locked-in syndrome communicate]( (Yuichiro Chino via Getty Images) For the first time, a patient in a completely locked-in state due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) was able to communicate verbally using a brain-computer interface, according to a new study. This technology allowed the patient, a 37-year old man with ALS, to communicate by forming words and phrases, despite not having any voluntary muscle control. The system involved implanting a device with microelectrodes into the patient's brain, and using a custom computer software to help translate his brain signals. Full Story: [Live Science]( (3/22) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] That’s Strange! [] [Scientists make yeast-free pizza dough that rises like the real thing]( [Scientists make yeast-free pizza dough that rises like the real thing]( (Francesco Paolo Desiderio) A materials scientist with a yeast allergy set out to make a yeast-free pizza dough that still rises like a classic Neapolitan pie. Now, in a new paper published March 22 in the journal Physics of Fluids, he and his colleagues report that they've succeeded in their quest — although so far, the team has only baked disks of dough that measure about 0.4 inches (10 millimeters) in diameter and lack any sauce, cheese or other toppings. Full Story: [Live Science]( (3/22) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Daily Quiz [] POLL QUESTION: How did materials scientists make yeast-free pizza dough rise? (Learn the answer [here]() [Vote]( [They added baking soda to the dough]( [Vote]( [They added baking powder to the dough]( [Vote]( [They baked the yeast-less dough in an autoclave (a kind of pressurized oven)]( [Vote]( [Trick question - the dough didn't actually rise like yeasted dough does](   [Sign Up]( | [Update Profile]( | [Unsubscribe]( [Privacy Policy]( | [Cookies Policy]( | [Terms and Conditions]( CONTACT US: [FEEDBACK](mailto:livescience@smartbrief.com) | [ADVERTISE]( Future US LLC © 1100 13th St. NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005