News
- Humans
Tobacco treaty on its way
An international tobacco-control treaty will go into effect on Feb. 28, 2005.
By Janet Raloff - Animals
Paper wasps object to dishonest face spots
Female wasps with dishonest faces, created by researchers who altered the wasps' natural status spots, have to cope with extra aggression.
By Susan Milius - Earth
Shake Down: Deep tremors observed at San Andreas fault
Patterns of activity for a type of tremor that occurs deep beneath California's San Andreas fault may offer scientists a way to foretell earthquake activity there.
By Sid Perkins - Materials Science
Sweet Glow: Nanotube sensor brightens path to glucose detection
An implantable glucose sensor based on carbon nanotubes could allow patients with diabetes to monitor their blood sugar levels without the need for daily pinprick tests.
- Health & Medicine
Male contraceptive shows promise in monkeys
A shot that primes the immune system against a sperm protein might be the next male contraceptive.
- Anthropology
Fossil ape makes evolutionary debut
Newly discovered fossils from an ape that lived in what's now northeastern Spain around 13 million years ago may hold clues to the evolutionary roots of living apes and people.
By Bruce Bower - Anthropology
Apes, monkeys split earlier than fossils had indicated
A new genetic analysis pushes back the estimated time at which ancient lineages of monkeys and apes diverged to between 29 million and 34.5 million years ago, at least 4 million years earlier than previously thought.
By Bruce Bower - Earth
Alpine glaciers on a hasty retreat
Comparisons of satellite images, aerial photos, and old surveys of Alpine glaciers indicate that the ice masses are losing area at an accelerating rate.
By Sid Perkins - Tech
Microscope goes mini
The atomic force microscope has been shrunk to the size of a microchip.
By Peter Weiss - Health & Medicine
Vitamin C and diabetes: Risky mix?
Vitamin C supplements may place people with diabetes at increased risk of heart disease.
By Janet Raloff - Earth
Ancient Heights: Leaf fossils track elevation changes
A new technique using altitude-dependent differences in fossil leaves may make it possible to chronicle the rise and fall of mountain ranges over millions of years.
By David Shiga - Tech
Magnetic Bit Boost: Quantum rewiring for computer memories
A quantum-mechanical memory component that might replace electronic computer memories has come closer to practicality.
By Peter Weiss