News
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Physics
Feel the Force: Magnetic probe finds lone electron
Scientists have observed a single electron's magnetism.
By Peter Weiss -
Chemistry
Nitrogen Power: New crystal packs a lot of punch
At extremely high temperatures and pressures, nitrogen gas assumes a three-dimensional crystal structure called polymeric nitrogen, a long-sought energy-storage material.
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Groomed DNA Handles Threats: Mothering styles alter rats’ stress responses
In rats, mothering styles set the genetic stage for a pup's lifelong responses to stressful situations.
By Bruce Bower -
Health & Medicine
A Toxic Side of Weight Loss: Pollutants may slow body’s metabolism
Weight loss releases toxic chemicals into the bloodstream, which may slow the body's metabolism.
By Carrie Lock -
Earth
Sea Change: Carbon dioxide imperils marine ecosystems
Almost half the carbon dioxide produced by human activity in the past 2 centuries is now dissolved in the oceans, resulting in chemical changes that, if unchecked, could threaten some marine ecosystems.
By Sid Perkins -
Female brains know how to fold ’em
Women compensate for the smaller overall volume of their brains by squeezing more folds into some of the space than men do.
By Bruce Bower -
Tech
Outer space on the cheap
The first-ever private, manned space mission occurred on June 21.
By Peter Weiss -
Physics
Quantum snare entraps key fifth photon
By coaxing five quantum particles into a state of entanglement, physicists have taken an important step toward dependable quantum computers and more-versatile schemes for transferring quantum information.
By Peter Weiss -
Earth
Bacteria found to release arsenic into groundwater
Arsenic gets into groundwater largely through the action of bacteria residing in aquifer sediments.
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Health & Medicine
Four die of rabies in transplanted tissues
Four people who received tissue transplanted from a man who had died from an undiagnosed rabies infection have since themselves died from the same incurable neurological disease.
By Ben Harder -
Humans
The high cost of staying current
Reading peer-reviewed journals remains a primary means by which researchers stay on top of developments in their fields, but the annual costs for these periodicals are steep.
By Janet Raloff -
Tech
Nanorods go for the gold
Gold blobs grown onto the ends of tiny, rod-shaped crystals provide potential points for electric contact and chemical liaisons that could enable such semiconductor bits to self-organize into complex circuits or structures.
By Peter Weiss