News
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Naps with stages spark learning
Napping shows potential as a way to stimulate learning.
By Bruce Bower -
Physics
Gluing building blocks with geometry
Using blocks with simple shapes, researchers have found ways to construct strong panels with no fasteners securing most of the blocks.
By Peter Weiss -
Turbo Gene: Getting a speed boost from DNA
A gene known as ACTN3 may influence whether athletes are better suited to sprinting or to endurance running.
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Health & Medicine
Transplant Hope: New thymus tissue jump-starts immune system in babies
A thymus tissue transplant enables babies born with DiGeorge syndrome to develop functional immune systems.
By Nathan Seppa -
Materials Science
Worm’s Jaws Show Mettle: Zinc links may inspire new materials
New analyses of the jaws of marine worms may lead scientists to better ways of making synthetic materials.
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Untangling the Brain: Enzyme counters Alzheimer’s-like snarls
The enzyme Pin1 prevents brain cells from developing harmful protein deposits called tangles.
By John Travis -
Physics
Fast Findings on Fluid Frenzy: Taking turbulence models to a new level
A new way to simulate turbulence by including some of the microscopic, molecular properties of fluids is influencing automobile design and may soon affect many other fields.
By Peter Weiss -
Earth
Extracting Estrogens: Modern treatment plants strip hormone from sewage
New research helps explain why state-of-the-art sewage treatment facilities are more effective than conventional plants at removing certain sex hormones from sludge.
By Ben Harder -
Astronomy
Repulsive Astronomy: Strengthening the case for dark energy
Astronomers have found new evidence that a mysterious substance, dubbed dark energy, is ripping the cosmos apart, causing the universe to expand at an ever-faster rate.
By Ron Cowen -
Animals
Why do two-sex geckos triumph?
Just the smell of an invasive species of gecko suppresses egg laying and subdues aggression in a resident.
By Susan Milius -
Animals
Maybe what Polly wants is a new toy
Changing the toys in a parrot's cage may ease the bird's tendency to fear new things.
By Susan Milius -
Animals
Some female birds prefer losers
When a female Japanese quail watches two males clash, she tends to prefer the loser.
By Susan Milius