Nobel winners, online scams and astronaut play: Your weekend reading list

William Lager
Earth orbit EVA, Apollo 9
Apollo 9 astronaut David Scott stands in the open hatch of the Command/Service Module, nicknamed 'Gumdrop,' while docked with the Lunar Module, nicknamed 'Spider,' on the third manned Apollo mission.
NASA | Project Apollo Archive

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Last week, NASA released more than 12,500 images from the Apollo program. The images provide a candid view of the very human endeavor that is space travel.

This weekend, learn why neutrino study won the Nobel Prize in physics, understand how global Internet scams work and watch some astronaut games.

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• 2015 Nobel Prize in physics: How neutrinos saved the world

Neutrino detector illustration
A picture of the Super-Kamiokande detector and an illustration describing the research field of Takaaki Kajita of Japan, co-winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics 2015, are displayed on a screen as the Nobel Committee announced the prize.
Jonathan Nackstrnad | AFP | Getty Images

Takaaki Kajita and Arthur McDonald won the Nobel Prize in physics for the discovery of neutrino oscillations, which show that neutrinos have mass and explains why previous experiments in neutrino detection only found one-third as many neutrinos as expected. via The Guardian

• Systems that keep the genome safe earn three Nobels in chemistry

Sara Snogerup Linse
Sara Snogerup Linse, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, explains the work of the prize's winners in chemistry.
Jonathan Nackstrnad | AFP | Getty Images

Our DNA is constantly bombarded by replication errors, environmental damage and other threats, but complex systems keep the molecules ready to help grow new cells. via Ars Technica

• Scientists grow primitive human kidneys in a dish

In the search for a new option beyond transplants and dialysis, scientists have developed a primitive kidney, akin to a semi-developed human kidney, from stem cells. via NPR

• Online dating made this woman a pawn in a global crime plot

Currency exchange and Western Union office
People walk past a currency exchange and Western Union office in Bucharest, Romania.
Sean Gallup | Getty Images file

A look inside global Internet scams, how scammers hook people to drain bank accounts, how pawns are drawn in to take huge risks for people they never meet, and how the scammed money scurries across the world. via Wired

• Fish can recognize faces, a surprisingly human skill

Not only do fish have unique facial patterns, but UV light-sensing damselfish know the faces of their friends. via National Geographic

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• Find space riches as you run across the universe in Astroneer

An introduction to a new space-themed exploration game that looks like a little Minecraft, a little Kerbal and a little No Man's Sky mixed together. via Polygon

WARNING: SPOILERS FOR 'THE MARTIAN' BELOW

• Anatomy of a scene: "The Martian"

Ridley Scott narrates a sequence from "The Martian" featuring Matt Damon. via The New York Times

• NASA releases thousands of Apollo program images

Which one is your favorite? Learn more about Apollo 9.

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