GoKawiilEnjoy the month’s best science images. Plus, a smartphone’s selfie camera can monitor your heart rate and whether AI will drag astrophysics down to Earth.
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Credit: Alvin Wu
Photographer Alvin Wu used a fisheye perspective to capture this surreal snap of a field of flowers framing the Milky Way over Twizel, New Zealand. The shot was one of 25 selected images in the ninth Milky Way Photographer of the Year competition.
See more of the month’s sharpest science shots, selected by Nature’s photo team.
Nature | Leisurely scroll
Bumble bees (Bombus terrestris) can suss out how to use a tool to complete a set task without explicit training. Bees were shown a ceiling-mounted artificial flower, which contained a tasty sucrose treat, and then separately, a styrofoam ball. Then, the insects were put into an environment with both. The bees worked out that they could roll the ball under the flower for a leg-up to their reward. The insects were never explicitly shown that they could use the ball for this purpose, which suggests they have the cognitive capacity to problem-solve.
Science | 5 min read
Reference: Science paper
Infographic of the week
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