The Human Cell Atlas: ‘Google Maps’ for our bodies, and more…

A NASA probe is going to touch the Sun for Christmas

The Parker Solar Probe is going to be making its closest approach to our Sun on Dec. 24, diving at 800,000 km/h into the corona of our star and getting within 6.5 million kilometers to the solar surface. It’s the culmination of a successful mission during which the probe has measured the solar wind and flown through solar storms. We speak with C. Alex Young, the Associate Director for Science Communication in the Heliophysics Division at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center about the highlights of the mission and what’s next for the intrepid spacecraft.

Pinning down the how and when Neanderthals interbred with humans

Studies of Neanderthal remains have revealed that many modern humans have around two per cent Neanderthal DNA in our genomes. A study led by Leonardo Iasi, from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, shows that the mixture happened over a period of 7,000 years, lasting from about 50,000 years ago until the Neanderthals started to disappear. The Neanderthal genes that persist in our genome are tied to metabolism and immunity, which might be because humans were traveling to new places and eating new foods to which Neanderthals were already adapted. Iasi’s research was published in the journal Science.

What Donner and Blitzen might have been saying to Rudolph

Researchers from Concordia University have released a new study about caribou vocalizations, and what the animals might be signaling to each other. The vocalizations are similar to those of elk and moose, but as herd animals, caribou signaling is less about summoning mates from a distance, and more about males warning competitors to fly off elsewhere. Biologists Robert Weladji and Laura Puch analyzed recordings of these calls to search for information buried in the grunts. They found that the frequencies gave signals as to the age and size of the animal. The research was published in the journal Bioacoustics.

Do crustaceans feel pain? A new study of their neural activity says yes

By monitoring the neural activity in crabs while delivering painful stimuli, researchers concluded the response they measured is associated with what we would think would be a painful experience. This study, in the journal Biology, adds to the evidence that crustaceans can sense painful stimuli as the kind of negative experience that we tend to associate with pain. Lynne Sneddon, from the University of Gothenburg led the work. 

Scientists are making a map of the human body accurate down to the individual cell

The Human Cell Atlas is a mammoth global project to create a detailed map of all cell types and functions in the human body, from early development to old age. While not yet complete, it’s already revolutionizing how scientists can probe the human body with significant implications for future healthcare — from diagnosing diseases, to developing drugs, to ushering in a new era of personalized medical treatments.