Science News Roundup: Alien planet with metallic clouds resembles 'a giant mirror in space'; Misunderstood rattlesnakes have a tender side, study finds

Researchers said on Monday they have spotted a truly extreme planet beyond our solar system, a blazingly hot world a bit bigger than Neptune that orbits a sun-like star every 19 hours and appears to be wrapped in metallic clouds made of titanium and silicates that reflect most incoming light back into space. Misunderstood rattlesnakes have a tender side, study finds Warm and cuddly are adjectives that seldom spring to mind when one thinks of rattlesnakes.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Alien planet with metallic clouds resembles 'a giant mirror in space'

It is a planet astronomers say probably should not even exist. Researchers said on Monday they have spotted a truly extreme planet beyond our solar system, a blazingly hot world a bit bigger than Neptune that orbits a sun-like star every 19 hours and appears to be wrapped in metallic clouds made of titanium and silicates that reflect most incoming light back into space.

Misunderstood rattlesnakes have a tender side, study finds

Warm and cuddly are adjectives that seldom spring to mind when one thinks of rattlesnakes. But a new study from Loma Linda University near San Bernardino, California, may change that by showing that the venomous rattler appears to take comfort in being close to its own kind, much like people.

(With inputs from agencies.)