HIGHLIGHTS:  The big science stories this week included a study that found human ancestors lost their tails 25 million years ago.  The private moon lander that touched down last week is already dead.  And there’s more going on around Uranus than we thought.  Astronomers found another moon up there.

FULL STORY:  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.  Researchers may have found the genetic quirk that made our early ancestors stop growing tails.  They think it happened around 25 million years ago.

2.  Don’t like fruit?  A study found even just smelling it might help prevent cancer and other diseases.

3.  In other food news:  Eating too much junk food increases your risk for 32 different diseases.  And researchers are working on a new sensor that can tell how fresh meat is, so you’ll know if it’s still safe to eat.

4.  In space news:  The private moon lander that touched down last week suffered a broken leg and is already dead.  It stopped responding yesterday but still made history.  It’s the first time a private company has landed something up there.

5.  And finally:  There’s more going on around Uranus than we thought.  Astronomers found another moon, plus two more moons orbiting Neptune.  Neptune now has 16 that we know of, and Uranus has 28.