Jupiter’s “Red Spot” shrinking dramatically

Jupiter’s Great Red Spot — a swirling storm feature larger than Earth — has shrunk to its smallest size ever measured, astronomers report.  The reasons for the shrinkage are unknown, but it’s accelerating, astronomers said. If it continues at recently measured rates, the famous blotch will be gone by about 2030.

Scientists identify Sun’s “long-lost brother”

Astronomers say they’ve found the Sun’s first known “sibling” — a star almost certainly born from the same cloud of gas and dust as our star.

Fruit flies found to “think” before they act

In experiments in which the insects had to tell apart ever more similar concentrations of an odour, researchers found that the flies don’t act instinctively or impulsively, but seem to accumulate information before acting. That has been considered a sign of higher intelligence.  The re­search­ers al­so found that a gene called FoxP, ac­tive in a small set of brain cells, facili­tates the choos­ing.

Long-snouted T. rex cousin reported found

The newfound species, nicknamed “Pinocchio rex,” had a longer skull and longer, narrower teeth than T. rex, with its deeper, more powerful jaws and thick teeth.

Physicists add another element to table

A new superheavy element looks set to be added to the periodic table: atoms of element 117.

Monotreme sex 'master switch' identified

The gene that most likely determines the sex of the platypus and echidna has been identified. The study also shows that the Y chromosome, contrary to previous assumptions, carries genes that are important to the basic viability of male mammals.