News

Planetary Science

Pristine fragments of asteroid breakup

Planetary scientists have for the first time precisely dated a collision that smashed an asteroid into fragments.

Paleontology

Fossil leaves yield extinction clues

Analyses of fossil leaves provide more evidence that the mass extinctions that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago were sudden and probably brought about by an extraterrestrial impact.

Health & Medicine

Dynamite discovery on nitroglycerin

Scientists have found a long-sought enzyme that may be behind nitroglycerin's dilation of blood vessels.

Health & Medicine

Ginseng extract halts diabetes in mice

Extracts from the berry of the American ginseng plant counter obesity and insulin resistance in mice.

Earth

Tomato compound repels mosquitos

New insect repellents based on a compound that contributes to the smell of crushed tomato leaves are under development.

Materials Science

Molecular template makes nanoscale helix

Using ribbons made of organic molecules as minuscule templates, researchers have coaxed a semiconductor material into tiny helical coils.

Health & Medicine

Watermelon red means lycopene rich

Watermelon is a far better source of the carotenoid lycopene than tomatoes are and at least as well absorbed by the body.

Humans

Official Concern: U.N. weighs in on acrylamide toxicity

A United Nations panel concluded that, in fried, grilled, and baked foods, the formation of acrylamide, a carcinogen and nerve poison in rodents, constitutes "a serious problem."

Paleontology

Into the Gap: Fossil find stands on its own four legs

A fossil originally misidentified as an ancient fish turns out to be the nearly intact remains of a four-limbed creature that lived during an extended period noted for its lack of fossils of land animals.

Health & Medicine

His-and-Her Hunger Pangs: Gender affects the brain’s response to food

Men's and women's brains react differently to hunger, as well as to satiation.