News
- Earth
Deep Squeeze: Experiments point to methane in Earth’s mantle
Although today's fossil fuel reserves reside in Earth's crust, a new study suggests that hydrocarbon fuel might also nestle deep in the mantle, at depths of 100 kilometers or more.
- Health & Medicine
Walking Away from Dementia: Moderate exercise protects aging minds
Two fresh studies strengthen the case that physical activity, including walking at a moderate pace, protects the aging brain from cognitive decline and dementia.
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Roma Record: Paths of the Gypsy population’s diasporas
Tracking genetic mutations has given researchers a tentative picture of the migration patterns of the Roma, or Gypsies, over the last millennium.
- Physics
Spooky Timing: Quantum-linked photons coordinate clock ticks
Physicists have demonstrated a new technique for bringing distant clocks into closer synchronization by means of entangled photons whose quantum properties are mysteriously correlated.
- Plants
Morphinefree Mutant Poppies: Novel plants make pharmaceutical starter
A Tasmanian company has developed a poppy that produces a commercially useful drug precursor instead of full-fledged morphine, and a research team now reports how the plant does it.
- Health & Medicine
Sleep on It: Fitful slumber tied to diabetes risk
Disturbed slumber, or sleep apnea, appears to make people more susceptible to certain conditions that lead to diabetes.
- Paleontology
Big Gulp? Neck ribs may have given aquatic beast unique feeding style
The fossilized neck bones of a 230-million-year-old sea creature have features suggesting that the animal's snakelike throat could flare open and create suction to pull in prey.
- Tech
Bartending lessons for microassembly
Engineers have demonstrated the feasibility of quickly assembling identical microcircuit components by agitating subunits in a liquid.
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Marrow cells take up residence in wounds
Bone marrow–derived cells linger in skin wounds much longer than previously thought, aiding in healing.
- Physics
Orbiting relativity test gets slow start
Unexpected but necessary adjustments to a satelliteborne test of relativity theory have slashed the time available to collect data.
- Tech
Transmuting a powerful poison
A new chemical process for fuel cells powered by hydrocarbons eliminates carbon monoxide that would clog fuel-cell electrodes while also extracting energy from the troublesome gas.
- Chemistry
Bacteria send out molecular scrounger for copper
Scientists have discovered the organic molecule that bacteria use to take up copper, which the microbes then use to chemically crack methane.
