Scientific discoveries always bring about the unexpected, but this week's news seemed particularly surprising. Let's take a look at the top five science stories we, and our readers, enjoyed the most.
1. Robot Reveals Ancient Aztec Burial Chambers (Interview)
The ancient Aztec city of Teotihuacan in Mexico holds many secrets, and now scientists are using a new method to uncover these secrets: robots. Using a small drone called Tlaloc II, archaeologists were able to find not one but three burial chambers in an ancient pyramid that they believe may hold the remains of whoever ruled the city before it was abandoned for unknown reasons.
2. Ants Climb Up Corporate Ladder As They Get Older
We all knew that humans were fond of corporate ladders, but ants? Scientists used QR readers to determine that ants not only hold a number of unique jobs, but switch positions as they get older, contributing to an overall "corporate" structure. A typical career trajectory starts with nursing, then moves on to cleaner and then forager.
3. New Nanofibers Are Both Tough And Strong
Imagine a plate that is as resilient as a rubber ball. That's essentially what scientists from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have done by electrospinning a new set of nanofibers that have the properties of both toughness and strength. Time to beef up that bulletproof vest.
4. NASA Shows Off Three Years Of The Sun (Video)
When it isn't off searching for extraterrestrial life or scheming to catch an asteroid, NASA is taking beautiful images for us to see. That was certainly the case this week with a new video compiling photos of the sun taken consecutively over the course of three years. You'll see your share of coronal mass ejections, solar flares and even a partial eclipse. Check it out here.
5. NASA Mars Rover: Where No Penis Has Gone Before
The title pretty much says it all, with this image going viral over the internet. We're pretty sure, though, that this thing was drawn as some sort of message from an alien civilization millions of years ago.
