Eagle

Abstracts: Lead Bullets, Sugar Taxes, and More

A roundup of science news from around the Web — and around the world.

• The environmental consequences of hunting with lead bullets are substantial, an editorial board in Iowa argues — especially for bald eagles. (Des Moines Register)

Bird

Lead shot is bad for the environment — and particularly bad for the American national bird. Visual by Jeremy Matlock/BLM

• Primary progressive aphasia leaves patients at a loss for words — literally. (The Atlantic)

• Classic stories about famous dinosaurs have been perpetuated through the years only to be re-examined and found lacking. (British Broadcasting Company)

• Britain joins other countries in announcing a sugar tax designed to reduce the health impacts of sugar consumption. (Nature)

• A new fossil of a spider-like arachnid is found to be missing a universal feature of all spiders: Spinnerets. (Science News)

• American consumption of quinoa does not seem to have the deleterious effects on Peruvian farmers it was once thought to have. (Smithsonian)

• The moon may play a key role in maintaining the life-protecting magnetic field of the earth. (Discover Magazine)

• An interview with a Cornell bioacoustician reveals the disturbing results of underwater sound pollution. (Yale 360)

• And finally: The origin of the universe is not a place, but a time. (New York Times)