News
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AnimalsFishy Paternity Defense: Bluegill dads: Not mine? Why bother?
Bluegill sunfish have provided an unusually tidy test of the much-discussed prediction that animal dads' diligence in child care depends on how certain they are that the offspring really are their own.
By Susan Milius -
Health & MedicineProtein Pump: Experimental therapy fights Parkinson’s
Bathing surviving dopamine-making neurons with a natural protein that induces nerve-fiber growth reverses some of the symptoms in Parkinson's disease patients.
By Nathan Seppa -
Moving On: Now the human genome is really done
An international consortium of scientists announced that the deciphering of the human genetic code is now truly complete.
By John Travis -
Radiation Marks Chromosomes: Plutonium leaves genetic fingerprint
By examining specific types of long-lasting genetic rearrangements in blood cells, researchers have found a way to measure a person's past exposures to plutonium radiation.
By Ben Harder -
Neural Recall: Brain area may support fact and event memory
A brain structure called the hippocampus may crucially influence memory for both factual information and personally experienced events.
By Bruce Bower -
PaleontologyFertile Ground: Snippets of DNA persist in soil for millennia
Minuscule samples of sediment from New Zealand and Siberia have yielded bits of DNA from dozens of animals and plants, including the oldest DNA sequences yet found that can be traced to a specific organism.
By Sid Perkins -
Materials ScienceBetween the Sheets: In reactors and nanotubes, errant atoms get a grip
A new computer simulation predicts that neutron irradiation of graphite displaces atoms and bonds in unexpected ways.
By Peter Weiss -
Materials ScienceInvent by Number: Researchers predict, then produce superior titanium alloys
Researchers have developed a new method or making titanium-based alloys with many qualities far superior to those in any alloy previously known.
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Left brain hammers out tool use
Structures in the brain's left hemisphere coordinate the ability to use familiar tools such as hammers and saws.
By Bruce Bower -
Gestures help words become memorable
Relevant hand gestures make a speaker's words more memorable to listeners, whereas inappropriate hand gestures undermine recall for what was previously said.
By Bruce Bower -
Health & MedicineBody 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 -
Health & MedicineTransfusions 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