News
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PhysicsMisbehavin’ Meson: Perplexing particle flouts the rules
The discovery of what appears to be a new subatomic particle with bizarre properties is challenging theorists' understanding of how matter behaves.
By Peter Weiss -
AnimalsHot Bother: Ground squirrels taunt in infrared
California ground squirrels broadcast an infrared signal when confronting a rattlesnake.
By Susan Milius -
Sleepy brains take learning seriously
After people practice a hand-eye coordination task, electrical activity in specific areas of the brain during sleep reflects neural processes involved in learning to perform that task better.
By Bruce Bower -
PhysicsNew pass at neutrino mass
The first experiment to create neutrinos in an accelerator and then beam them a long distance has found a long-awaited, new form of evidence that those fundamental particles weigh something.
By Peter Weiss -
EarthCost of protecting the oceans
Operating an extensive global network of marine parks in which fishing and habitat-stressing activities are restricted would probably be more affordable for governments than continuing to subsidize struggling fisheries at current levels.
By Ben Harder -
PhysicsWhy the thinnest sticky hairs rule
The foot hairs of geckos and other creatures that can walk on ceilings may be microscopic because only such slender hairs offer optimal adhesion, regardless of shape.
By Peter Weiss -
ChemistryConnection blocker may stop viruses
Using compounds that disrupt the interface of two viral proteins might present a novel strategy for combating viruses, a study of herpes suggests.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineFish toxin stops cancer pain
An experimental drug fashioned from the toxin of the puffer fish can suppress pain in cancer patients.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineNew diabetes drug passes early tests
The drug exenatide stabilizes and can reduce blood sugar in diabetes patients.
By Nathan Seppa -
PaleontologyCalling all orthodontists. . .
Researchers have unearthed fossils of a theropod dinosaur whose front teeth grew almost directly forward, which sets it apart from all other related species.
By Sid Perkins -
PaleontologyAllosaurus as a Jurassic headbanger
The skull of the carnivorous dinosaur Allosaurus fragilis can resist levels of stress much higher than those expected from chewing, which may provide insight into the animal's method of attacking its prey.
By Sid Perkins -
PaleontologyThe last ice age wasn’t totally icy
Radiocarbon dating of fossils taken from caves on islands along Alaska's southeastern coast suggest that at least a portion of the area remained ice-free during the last ice age.
By Sid Perkins