Animals
A naturalist recounts birds’ lives in the Scottish Highlands
In Gods of the Morning, a naturalist chronicles how birds and other wildlife withstand the changing seasons in the Scottish Highlands
Reviews & Previews
Science Visualized
Animals
Long-tongued fly sips from afar
Long-tongued flies can dabble in shallow blossoms or reach into flowers with roomier nectar tubes.
Notebook
Animals
Giant pandas live in the slow lane
Giant pandas burn far less energy than similarly sized land mammals.
Features
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Wanted: Crime-solving bacteria and body odor
Forensic investigators are moving past old-school sleuthing to analyze microbes and odors that tell a more complete story, while pursuing ways to enhance traditional tools as well.
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The human genome takes shape and shifts over time
Scientists are mapping and modeling the 4-D human genome to get beyond its linear structure.
More Stories from the September 5, 2015 issue
- Astronomy
Source of blazars’ super brightness comes into focus
Astronomers take a close look at a blazar, a galaxy whose central black hole emits gamma rays and other high-energy material toward Earth.
- Paleontology
50-million-year-old fossil sperm discovered
Ancient worm sperm preserved in 50-million-year-old cocoons from Antarctica set age record.
- Physics
Revamping the metric measure of mass
The units of the metric system are on track for a 2018 makeover.
- Health & Medicine
Resveratrol’s anticancer benefits show up in low doses
Small amounts of the compound found in red wine and grapes prove protective against colon cancer in mice fed a high-fat diet.
- Animals
Caterpillar treats and tricks ants by oozing spiked juice
Caterpillars ooze droplets that lure ants away from colony duties to instead lick and defend their drug source, new lab tests suggest.
- Animals
Where salamanders should be very afraid
Three zones of North America at high risk if the salamander-killing fungus disease Bsal invades.
- Health & Medicine
Ebola vaccine protects people in West Africa
In Guinea trial, zero cases of Ebola occurred in people potentially exposed who received immediate shots of a new experimental vaccine.
- Climate
Desert dig uncovers caches of missing CO2
Irrigation water may wash significant amounts of carbon into groundwater systems beneath Earth’s deserts, researchers propose.
- Planetary Science
Map of Ceres’ surface shows surprises
Clusters of craters on Ceres and smooth landscapes hint at an unusual past for the dwarf planet.
- Quantum Physics
Quantum communication takes a new twist
A three-kilometer transmission of light above the Vienna skyline demonstrates that scientists can use the twistiness of light to encode delicate quantum information.
- Materials Science
Buckyballs turn on copper’s magnetism
Exposure to buckyballs bestows ironlike magnetic properties onto the normally nonmagnetic metals copper and manganese.
- Planetary Science
Mini moons may zip around Earth
Mini moons may buzz around Earth, and they make great targets for space missions.
- Planetary Science
Quest to trace origin of Earth’s water is ‘a complete mess’
Understanding the origin of Earth’s water is hard enough, and it’s made harder by not knowing where all that water is hiding.
- Animals
First known venomous frogs stab with toxin-dripping lip spikes
Two Brazilian frogs jab foes with venoms more deadly than pit vipers'.
- Life
Chemical magic transforms skin cells into nerve cells
Just a few chemicals can transform skin cells from Alzheimer’s patients and healthy people into nerve cells.
- Earth
Nepal quake’s biggest shakes relatively spread out
The seismic rumblings of the April 25 Nepal earthquake were mostly in low frequencies that are more likely to collapse large structures, new research suggests.
- Genetics
Ancestral humans had more DNA
A new genetic diversity map marks where humans have gained and lost DNA.
- Astronomy
Faint red stars can build water worlds drip by drip
Rocky planets around faint red stars have a hard time getting water, but they’re still probably the most common habitable locales in the Milky Way, new computer simulations suggest.
- Health & Medicine
Fish oil may counter schizophrenia
Three months of omega-3 fatty acids protects against psychosis for years, a small study suggests.
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- Health & Medicine
Spicy food linked to longevity
Spicy food in the diet seems to contribute to longevity, a study of thousands of people in a Chinese registry finds.
- Tech
50 years ago, an automat began taking paper money
Ubiquitous today, vending machines that accepted bills were once considered exciting technological achievements.
- Animals
‘Prehistoric Predators’ is a carnival of ancient dinosaurs, mammals and more
A new children’s book offers gorgeous illustrations and information for everyone about ancient carnivores.
