This Week in Science: Spacewalks, Smart Pacifiers, and Solar Panels at Night

It’s time for “Nerd News,” covering the most important news for your brain you may have missed.  Here’s a quick rundown of this week in science . . .

1.  In space news:  NASA canceled all unnecessary spacewalks for now, because the Space Station astronauts’ helmets keep filling up with water, and they don’t know why.

2.  In seafood news:  We accidentally found out scallops are attracted to L.E.D. lights, and it could lead to new fishing techniques that are better for the environment.  A team figured it out while trying to catch crabs, which we already knew were attracted to lights.

3.  In A.I. news:  A lead researcher at Google’s company DeepMind claims they’re very close to achieving “human-level artificial intelligence.”  Not everyone’s convinced it’s really that close to happening yet though.

4.  In green energy news:  A team at Cambridge built a tiny computer than can run on pond scum.  And researchers in Australia are working on a new type of solar panel that could work at night by absorbing infrared light rays.

5.  In gadget news:  A team at Washington State is working on a smart pacifier for babies that could track things like electrolytes and tell if they’re dehydrated.  It would mean premature infants wouldn’t have to have their blood drawn twice a day.

6.  And finally:  A new study found that watching TV and playing video games might actually make kids smarter.  But social media had no effect.