This Week’s NOVA Next Feature
Upgrades to the observatory sharpened its hearing, allowing scientists to detect the waves after just 16 days. NOVA Next contributor Kate Becker
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In other news:
- Gravitational waves found in 1.3 billion-year-old black hole collision. [Bonus: we thought we found gravitational waves before.]
- Here’s what image overload is doing to your brain.
- What’s the physics behind texting ?
- Studying periods is important for everyone’s health (not just people with a uterus). Watch this special “not gross” edition of Gross Science.
- The bacteria that help bears hibernate could help cancer patients.
- Google’s self-driving car may soon be considered a legal driver.
- Researchers found that one-third of all teachers believe that climate change “is likely due to natural causes.”
- What if you could not only record memories, but replace them , too?
- She’s able to convince people that they committed a crime—even if they didn’t. Read our AMA with Dr. Julia Shaw, memory scientist and criminal psychologist.

What We’re Reading
- LIGO is “a testament to the persistent curiosity and ingenuity of humankind.” [The New York Times]
- The answer to the “final parsec problem” could change our understanding of how the universe became so elaborate . [Nautilus Magazine]
- How did Zika spread so quickly? Check out this interactive map documenting its trajectory. [FRONTLINE]
- Natural history museums are teeming with undiscovered species . [The Atlantic]
Did you miss "Memory Hackers" this week? Watch it streaming online.