News
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Astronomy
Galactic RAVE
A new study of thousands of Milky Way stars and their motion toward and away from Earth should provide new clues about how our galaxy formed.
By Ron Cowen -
Health & Medicine
Cancer Advance: Treatment combinations stall colorectal cancer
Two experimental drugs can induce remission in colorectal cancer patients and extend their survival.
By Nathan Seppa -
Animals
Skin Scam: Parasite’s host provides an insect hideaway
A group of parasitic insects called Strepsiptera can hide inside their victim by making the host form a protective bag of its own skin.
By Susan Milius -
Babble Rousers: Babies find their voice when given social push
Eight-month-old infants utter more complex, speechlike sounds when their mothers encourage them with well-timed touches and smiles rather than with words offered as models to imitate.
By Bruce Bower -
Planetary Science
Slowdown on Saturn? Windy doings on the ringed planet
The winds in Saturn’s upper atmosphere are some of the swiftest in the solar system, but recent findings suggest there’s been a dramatic slowdown.
By Ron Cowen -
Materials Science
Caught on Tape: Gecko-inspired adhesive is superstrong
Researchers have emulated a gecko's sticking power to create a superstrong adhesive.
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Earth
Sticky Situation: Nonstick surfaces can turn toxic at high heat
Nonstick cookware can, if overheated, sicken people and kill birds, according to a new analysis of research published over the past 40 years.
By Janet Raloff -
Getting an Earful: With gene therapy, ears grow new sensory cells
Scientists have for the first time coaxed the growth of new sensory cells within the ears of an adult mammal.
By John Travis -
Salamander moms use bacteria to save eggs from fungi
Salamander skin has bacteria that repel egg-destroying mold.
By John Travis -
Smoking out microbes
The addictive compound nicotine kills bacteria, which may explain why smokers get lung disease.
By John Travis -
Some like it hotter
A microbe found on the ocean floor can grow at 121°C, a new record for the upper temperature limit for life.
By John Travis