Uncategorized
- Microbes
Arctic thaw is spreading wildlife diseases
Polar animals are encountering new, killer parasites as melting ice unlocks their access to new hosts.
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- Archaeology
Ancient footprints surface in Britain
There are hints they could have been made by ancestors of Neandertals.
- Animals
First living fish leaves ‘endangered’ list
Twenty-one years ago, a minnow facing a high risk of extinction was placed on the U.S. Endangered Species List. With help from scientists, the fish appears to have largely recovered. It’s the first ‘listed’ fish to do so.
- Planets
New evidence of a wet Mars
Ten years in to its tour of Mars, the Opportunity rover finds another place on the Red Planet that once might have hosted water.
- Life
How to reset a cell
Scientists had reported they had figured out how to turn a specialized cell into any other type of cell the body may need. All it took was an acid bath. But now in July, big doubts have emerged about the quality of that work and whether the results will hold up.
- Brain
When Cupid’s arrow strikes
Scientists have begun dissecting what it means to be in love. They are finding that much of what we feel can be explained by the effects of a few key chemicals — and not just on our hearts and brains, but on our whole bodies.
- Physics
Building a mirror with light
Scientists proved that lasers can be used to harness materials into a reflective surface. Some scientists ask: Can a space mirror be far away?
- Health & Medicine
Many human ails are ‘scars’ of evolution
Humans suffer many physical problems that other primates don’t, from sprained ankles to hip fractures. Scientists now say you can blame these on evolution.
- Brain
The weight of thought
Thinking heavy thoughts? Scientists have just put people on a balance and shown that the brain briefly gains blood — becoming a bit heavier — while concentrating.
- Animals
Dissecting the dog paddle
Scientists occasionally describe the dog paddle as a “trot,” but that’s not right. When dogs swim, their complicated leg motions look more like a frantic run.
- Environment
Does lightning sculpt mountains?
A new study sparks debate about how much rubble on a mountainside has been blasted loose by powerful bolts from the sky.
