News
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Materials ScienceWorm’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 -
PhysicsFast 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 -
EarthExtracting 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 -
AstronomyRepulsive 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 -
AnimalsWhy 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 -
AnimalsMaybe 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 -
AnimalsSome female birds prefer losers
When a female Japanese quail watches two males clash, she tends to prefer the loser.
By Susan Milius -
AnimalsThe secret appetite of cleaner wrasses
The little reef fish that nibble parasites off bigger fish that stop by for service actually prefer to nibble the customers.
By Susan Milius -
Health & MedicineAnthrax toxin curbs immune cells
A toxin produced by the anthrax bacterium suppresses cells that launch the body's immune response.
By John Travis -
PhysicsAntiglare eye black is better than tape
Black grease that athletes smear under their eyes to control the glare of the sun really helps them discern contrast; what's more, it works better than black tape, a newer antiglare aid.
By Nathan Seppa -
Materials ScienceMiniature Motor: Nanotubes central to new rotating device
Researchers have used miniature, nested cylinders, called multiwalled carbon nanotubes, to make a motor only 300 nanometers long.