Uncategorized
- Brain
Can soft drinks speed aging?
A new study suggests a reason why daily sugary-soda drinkers are more prone to disease: Guzzling these drinks shortens the protective caps on chromosomes. If the caps get too short, cells die.
- Brain
IQ is in the genes
Previous research that suggested parenting affects a child’s IQ is flawed, researchers now conclude.
- Health & Medicine
The secret of fast runners: symmetry
Science had shown that animals and people with symmetrical bodies tend to be stronger and healthier. Now researchers find they can predict the best sprinters by measuring the top runners’ knees.
- Tech
Wind power is looking up — to the clouds
Placing wind turbines high in the sky could let them harvest power from the faster, more reliable winds found at altitude.
- Climate
Lightning strikes will surge with climate change
Warming temperatures will lead to 50 percent more lightning strikes across the 48 U.S. states in the next century, researchers report. That increase could lead to more warming, more fires and even more deaths.
- Earth
Artificial sweeteners pollute streams
Fake sugars sweeten foods without adding calories. But most pass right through the body, down the toilet, into water treatment plants — and from there, right into lakes and streams.
- Physics
New particle may help probe strongest force in the universe
A newfound subatomic particle should allow scientists to better understand the strong force that holds together the nucleus of every atom.
- Animals
Ancient jellyfish died a strange death
Scientists have probed the fossilized remains of an ancient jellyfish. It reveals a bizarre sequence of events that led to its preservation 310 million years ago.
- Planets
Comet probe may shed light on Earth’s past
Scientists spent more than two decades setting up Philae’s months-long investigation of a comet. What they hope to learn could shed light on Earth’s childhood — and the source of its water. But that’s if problems with Philae’s landing don’t cut the robot’s life span.
- Animals
When life exploded
Life exploded in diversity during the Cambrian Period. Experts are exploring what could account for this sudden change 540 million years ago.
- Planets
Picture This: Falling to a comet
After a more than decade-long ride, a robotic lander has left its spacecraft and floated down onto the surface of a comet. From there it should begin scouting for hints at how our solar system formed.
- Climate
World leaders call for action on climate change
This week, the presidents of China and the United States pledged to take aggressive action on the release of greenhouse gases to head off dire worldwide climate effects.
