Moons colour

Using new Hubble Space Telescope observations, US scientists have found that Pluto’s three moons are of the same colour ? boosting the theory that the Pluto system formed in a single, giant collision. All three satellites have surfaces that reflect sunlight with equal efficiency at all wavelengths, which means they have the same colour as the Sun or our moon, the team writes in the International Astronomical Union Circular.

Easy hiring

A University of Calgary researcher has designed a standardised system that promises to streamline hiring processes. The new system is called synthetic validity. It can identify the best candidates available in an applicant pool in one-thousandth the time and cost, the researcher writes in the International Journal of Selection and Assessment.

Oldest ships

The oldest remains of seafaring ships have been found at the edge of the Egyptian desert along with cargo boxes, which are about 4,000 years old. The find suggests that ancient Egyptians sailed nearly 1,000 miles on rough waters to get treasures from a place they called God’s Land. The discovery was made by a Florida State University anthropologist and reported in the International Journal of Nautical Archeology.

Exotic growth

A new study in the journal Science says herbivores, including cattle and goats, encourage the spread of invasive exotic plants, which harm the structure of native ecosystems. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology say these “enemies” increase the plants’ relative abundance by nearly 70 per cent.