This Week in Science: Mutant Wolves, Beef-Rice, and Monkeying Around

It’s time for “Nerd News,” covering the most important news for your brain.

Here’s a quick rundown of this week in science . . .

1.  Would you eat this?  Scientists created beef-rice . . . or, rice with lab-cultured meat grown inside it.  (???)  The idea is to add protein, and make rice more nutritious to feed more people.  Fun detail:  It’s pink.  (Here’s a photo.)

2.  In animal news:  A study found great apes tease each other, just like us . . . mutant wolves in Chernobyl have become resistant to cancer . . . and scientists are pushing back on the idea that a shark got a stingray pregnant at an aquarium in North Carolina.  They’re not closely related enough, so it’s probably a rare case of asexual reproduction, where the female clones itself.

3.  In moon news:  Another privately owned moon lander lifted off yesterday, and everything went as planned.  If it touches down next Thursday, it’ll be the first time it’s been done by a non-government entity.  The company is Intuitive Machines, based in Houston.

4.  And in other space news:  We found water on an asteroid for the first time . . . doctors remotely tested out a new surgery robot on the Space Station . . . and someone did a round-up for Valentine’s Day of heart-shaped stuff in outer space.