News
- Animals
Male butterflies are driven to drink
Monarch butterflies that winter in California, especially males that had a demanding day, search out dewdrops as a water source.
- Earth
Cigarette smoke can harm kitty, too
Compared with animals living in smokefree homes, cats who lived for some time with a smoker at least doubled their risk of developing the feline analog of the cancer non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
- Tech
Micromachine runs on nuclear power
Radioactivity creates electric fields that wiggle a tiny lever.
- Chemistry
Don’t eat the pepper-flavored paint
A derivative of the spicy chemical in chili peppers could find its way into a variety of products, including veterinary sutures and fiber optic cables.
- Chemistry
Glowing bacteria gobble gook in soil
A genetically engineered bacterium lights up as it breaks down organic contaminants in soil.
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Nogo makes cord regrowth a no go
Researchers have identified the gene for a protein that inhibits the regrowth of nerves in the spinal cord.
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Protein may help the eyes tell time
A human version of melanopsin, originally found in the skin, eyes, and brains of frogs, has been discovered in the inner retina and may be the long-sought photoreceptor for the human biological clock.
- Astronomy
A chance to point Hubble
Get out your heavenly wish list: Astronomers working with the Hubble Space Telescope are soliciting suggestions for where to point the orbiting observatory this summer.
- Astronomy
A possible signal from Polar Lander
Astronomers may have heard a faint signal from the vanished Mars Polar Lander spacecraft last month but, as of mid-February, have not detected another.
- Health & Medicine
Pancreatic enzymes may play role in shock
Pancreatic enzymes used for digestion may cause shock when they leach out of the small intestine and form a substance that activates white blood cells.
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Testosterone shows hurtful, helpful sides
A small but significant portion of men taking large doses of testosterone experience mania, although moderate doses of the male sex hormone show promise in boosting the mood and sex drive of HIV-infected men.
- Chemistry
Volcanoes aren’t a big source of CFCs
Ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons in the atmosphere come mainly from human-made sources, not from volcanoes as some have suggested.
