News
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Earth
Weather Wise: Model may predict El Niño up to 2 years in advance
A new version of a climate-prediction model that includes detailed interactions between the oceans and the atmosphere could be used to foresee the onset of the climate-altering phenomenon known as El Niño.
By Sid Perkins -
Health & Medicine
Drug for preemies linked to problems
A steroidal drug used to combat lung inflammation in premature infants appears to have long-term negative effects.
By Nathan Seppa -
Astronomy
Sizing up a black hole
Astronomers are closing in on the size of the supermassive black hole that lies at our galaxy's center.
By Ron Cowen -
Archaeology
Israeli cave yields Stone Age kills
A recently discovered Israeli cave has yielded some of the earliest known evidence of hunting by humans or our evolutionary ancestors, from around 300,000 to 200,000 years ago.
By Bruce Bower -
Anthropology
Rock-solid choices of first toolmakers
Human ancestors who took up stone toolmaking in Africa around 2.6 million years ago already showed a proclivity for choosing high-quality pieces of rock, a new study finds.
By Bruce Bower -
Chemistry
Flame-retardant cotton gets a boost from clay
Mixing cotton fibers with nanoparticles of clay increases the materials' heat tolerance, ultimately rendering new cotton fabrics flame retardant.
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Health & Medicine
A drug to stop diabetes’ onset?
Individuals susceptible to developing type 1 diabetes may find hope in a vaccinelike drug that is showing promise in mouse studies.
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Tech
Bacteria churn out new type of electronic paper
Researchers have developed a new way of making flexible electronic paper displays using cellulose derived from bacteria.
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Materials Science
Nanotubes take on the Grand Canyon
A new technique can turn forests of carbon nanotubes into a foamlike material with ideal properties for making lightweight shock absorbers.
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Health & Medicine
Double-Edged Drugs: Anti-inflammatories’ cancer effects vary by brand and tissue type
New research on anti-inflammatory medications being investigated as cancer treatments indicates that some of these drugs have secondary effects that could enhance or undermine their antitumor activity.
By Ben Harder -
Animals
Flex That Bill: Hummingbirds’ surprising insect-catching style
High-speed videos of hummingbirds catching insects reveal that their lower bills are unexpectedly flexible.
By Susan Milius -
Health & Medicine
Save the Brain: Study suggests new way to treat head trauma
A compound that stimulates nerve-cell activity may help the brain recover from serious head injuries.
By John Travis