News

  1. Cult Anthrax: Stored slime reveals why release went undetected

    A U.S. anthrax geneticist tells the story behind his work figuring out how Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo released anthrax into Tokyo but people didn't notice anything except a nasty smell.

    By
  2. Dirty RATS: Campaign ad may have swayed voters subliminally

    Psychological research sparked by a controversial campaign advertisement aired during the 2000 presidential election suggests that the 30-second spot—which briefly flashed "RATS"—may have negatively affected viewers’ opinions of Democratic candidate Al Gore.

    By
  3. Planetary Science

    Martian Gullies: Carved by melting snow?

    Melting snow may have sculpted the recently formed gullies found at midlatitudes on Mars.

    By
  4. Anthropology

    Evolution’s DNA Fusion: Hybrid gene forms clue to human, ape origins

    A gene of mixed evolutionary pedigree may have transformed mammalian reproduction, leading to the evolution of apes and humans.

    By
  5. Health & Medicine

    Hold the Phone? Radiation from cell phones hurts rats’ brains

    A single 2-hour exposure to the microwaves emitted by some cell phones kills brain cells in rats.

    By
  6. Ecosystems

    Lab ecosystems show signs of evolving

    An ambitious test of group selection considers whether natural selection can act on whole ecosystems as evolutionary units.

    By
  7. Paleontology

    Was it sudden death for the Permian period?

    The massive extinctions that came at the end of the Permian period could have occurred within a mere 8,000 years, which suggests a catastrophic cause for the die-offs.

    By
  8. Possible Alzheimer’s vaccine seems safe

    A vaccine intended to slow or prevent the devastation of Alzheimer's disease appears promising, according to preliminary tests in people.

    By
  9. Tech

    Technique boosts data rate in light pipes

    Turning a liability into an asset, a new technique for passing information through optical fibers increases the data flow by exploiting the very trait that has long held that flow back.

    By
  10. Mental ills attract alternative therapies

    A substantial minority of people suffering from mental ailments seek out alternative treatments, such as herbal medicines and nutritional regimens, usually without telling their physicians.

    By
  11. Materials Science

    Ancient seal technology shows its age

    Modern technologies reveal than an ancient method of engraving tough quartz in Mesopotamia was adopted some 1,500 years later than scholars had thought.

    By
  12. Health & Medicine

    Cultured cells reverse some eye damage

    Transplants using bioengineered corneal stem cells grown on an amniotic membrane can vastly improve vision in people who are nearly blind because of damaged corneas.

    By