News

  1. Earth

    Infants pick up toxic chemicals in intensive care

    Newborns in intensive care units absorb high concentrations of a potentially toxic phthalate from the plastic tubing and other equipment used in treating them.

    By Janet Raloff
  2. Health & Medicine

    After terror, moms’ stress affects kids

    Infants born to women who developed posttraumatic stress disorder during pregnancy have unusually low concentrations of the hormone cortisol.

    By Ben Harder
  3. Astronomy

    Cosmic soot

    Astronomers have found a group of complex organic compounds, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, from a time when the universe was less than one-third its current age.

    By Ron Cowen
  4. Humans

    Space Woes: NASA programs reel from shuttle problems

    Technological problems for NASA's space shuttle Discovery, such as falling foam and dangling insulation, are causing safety worries and throwing a crimp into the U.S.