News
- Health & Medicine
Stress-prone? Altering the diet may help
Tailoring a diet to fuel the brain with the precursor of a mood-enhancing chemical may help vulnerable individuals cope with stress.
By Janet Raloff -
Mice can thank a hormone for the memories
Oxytocin, a hormone previously implicated in mammalian sexual and maternal behavior, may play a role in social recognition in mice.
By Ruth Bennett - Chemistry
Lakes reveal low phosphate concentrations
Researchers using a new technique have found that previous measurements of phosphate, an important nutrient in lake ecosystems, have grossly overestimated its concentration.
- Animals
He and she cooperate on anti-aphrodisiacs
Scientists have for the first time identified a chemical that serves as a butterfly anti-aphrodisiac.
By Susan Milius - Anthropology
Gene test probes Neandertal origins
A new DNA study supports the theory that Neandertals didn't contribute to the evolution of modern humans.
By Bruce Bower - Health & Medicine
DNA vaccine for measles shows promise
A measles vaccine consisting of just a couple of DNA strands proves effective in monkeys, possibly presenting an alternative or complementary vaccine for the standard immunization now used worldwide.
By Nathan Seppa - Earth
Enjoy the beach. . .while it’s still there
Up to a quarter of the structures within 500 feet of America's coastlines may be lost to erosion in the next 60 years, according to a report issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency last week.
By Sid Perkins - Tech
Magnifier May Crack Crimes, Crashes
Gumshoes equipped with a novel device for magnifying magnetic fields may spy clues on damaged, erased, or deliberately corrupted audio tapes and other magnetic media.
By Peter Weiss - Physics
Quantum computers to keep an eye on
A primitive ion-based computer exploiting the weirdness of quantum mechanics has taken an important step forward in problem solving.
By Peter Weiss - Humans
Talent Found: Top science students chosen in 62nd annual competition
Forty wunderkinder, named as finalists in the annual Intel Science Talent Search, will collect $530,000 in scholarships for original research in science, mathematics, and engineering.
By Ben Harder - Earth
Putting Whales to Work: Cetaceans provide cheap labor in the icy deep
Whales equipped with environmental sensors discover warm water beneath Arctic ice.
-
Heat-Seeking Missiles: Sperm may follow rising temperature to egg
In a process called thermotaxis, sperm cells may use a temperature gradient in the fallopian tubes to find their way to an unfertilized egg.
By John Travis