Tree Rings, Poop Pills, and the Dead Sea: Week in Review

This Week’s NOVA Next Feature

Can an audacious desalination project save what’s left of one of the world’s most unique bodies of water? NOVA Next contributor Elisa Oddone reports the story.

In other news:

• Zebra finches sing to their unborn chicks to warn them of rising temperatures.
• Evidence of ancient solar storms in tree rings could pinpoint major historical events.
• What are the secret qualities of poop that make it such powerful medicine?
• Going vegan isn’t necessarily the most sustainable option for humanity.
• A trans-Neptunian object has been spotted defying the norms of the social system.

What We’re Reading

• “ This is a risky drug about which women and their doctors don’t get enough information.” [STAT]
• The U.S. Department of Justice found Volkswagen liable for criminal wrongdoing this week. [Business Insider]
• Although medical errors should concern us all, these stats are more controversial than you might think . [The New York Times]
• NASA keeps trying to find innovate ways to feed astronauts in space. But 500 years ago, the Incans had already come up with the answer . [The New York Times]
• This sound-swallowing, lab-born black hole has shown signs of quantum entanglement. [New Scientist]