Why do orcas wear salmon hats?
New Scientist
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Hello and welcome to New Scientist’s weekly round-up of the best stories in science and technology. Today we’ve got great news about battery tech, some surprising news about US food and incredible news about the potential for bringing people back from the dead. But first, fashion.
Orcas have begun wearing salmon hats again – and we may soon know why
As every fashionista knows, even the strangest look can eventually come back in style, and now it seems the same is true for orcas. Around 40 years ago, orcas off North America’s west coast began wearing dead salmon on their heads, before the trend vanished. Now, it has started up again, and researchers are starting to puzzle out what is driving this unusual behaviour.
Salt batteries are finally shaping up – that's good for the planet
As you read this, you almost certainly have a lithium-ion battery in your vicinity, whether in your phone, laptop or other electronic devices. Lithium is an incredibly handy element for battery technology, but it is also in limited supply and mining it comes with environmental costs, so the hunt is on for alternatives. Now it seems batteries that use sodium ions are almost ready to go.
How safe is the US food supply?
Living in the UK, my impression is that US food safety is a bit of a wild west, with constant bacterial outbreaks and a lax approach to regulation. It turns out I’m quite wrong, as my colleague Grace Wade explains. When it comes to both safety and sickness, the US food system isn’t that different to the systems in the UK and other European countries.
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Jacob Aron, News Editor