News

  1. Earth

    Where’s Waldo . . . and 6 billion others?

    Scientists have combined satellite imagery and detailed census data to develop a worldwide database that can provide estimates of the number of people located in areas on a grid that has boxes with areas of 1 square kilometer or less.

    By Sid Perkins

  2. Wasp redesigns web of doomed spider

    A wasp larva injects a spider with a web-altering drug, driving the spider to spin a shelter just right for a wasp cocoon.

    By Susan Milius

  3. Parasite deludes rats into liking cats

    A protozoan that infects rats dims their wariness around cats and can even lead to what Oxford researchers call a fatal attraction.

    By Susan Milius

  4. Banning deer boosts migratory birds

    In a 9-year test, excluding deer raised the population numbers among bird species, such as hooded warblers, that have a high conservation priority.

    By Susan Milius

  5. Hypnotic hues in the brain

    Hypnosis uniquely colors the activity of brain areas involved in visual perception, supporting the view that hypnotized people enter a distinct psychological state rather than only play a role designed to please the hypnotist.

    By Bruce Bower

  6. Babies posture to learn

    Infants make better action-oriented decisions when they adopt a familiar posture, such as sitting upright, instead of an unfamiliar one, such as crawling.

    By Bruce Bower
  7. Health & Medicine

    Body wraps caused rash of rashes

    A CDC investigator has linked an outbreak of skin infections to unsanitary practices at a body wrap salon.

    By Ben Harder
  8. Health & Medicine

    Transfusions and transplants spread West Nile virus

    Donated blood and organs should be screened to prevent transmission of West Nile virus, federal officials say.

    By Ben Harder
  9. Health & Medicine

    Africa faces new meningitis threat

    A vaccine-resistant and previously rare strain of deadly bacteria caused an epidemic of meningitis last year in western Africa and seems to have disseminated around the world.

    By Ben Harder
  10. Health & Medicine

    Vaccine didn’t cause heart deaths

    Fatal heart attacks that recently struck two people after they were vaccinated against smallpox were probably unfortunate coincidences, not adverse consequences of vaccination.

    By Ben Harder
  11. Physics

    Fusion device crosses threshold

    By sparking thermonuclear reactions, a machine called Z has joined the big leagues among potential technologies for producing power from controlled nuclear fusion.

    By Peter Weiss
  12. Astronomy

    Echoes of a stellar outburst

    Light from the outburst of a star has revealed its dusty surroundings.

    By Ron Cowen