News

Physics

Lasers act on cue in electron billiards

Electrons torn from atoms by a laser beam can shoot back into the atom and knock loose other electrons like balls in a billiard game, a finding that may have applications in nuclear fusion, particle acceleration, and fundamental physics experiments.

Chemistry

Powerful explosive blasts onto scene

Researchers have synthesized what could be the most powerful nonnuclear explosive known.

Animals

Butterfly ears suggest a bat influence

Researchers have found the first bat-detecting ear in a butterfly and suggest that the threat of bats triggered the evolution of some moths into butterflies.

Astronomy

Hubble Space Telescope: Eye wide open

Two months after the failure of a fourth gyroscope shut it down, and 3 weeks after a shuttle crew paid it a service call, the Hubble Space Telescope is back in business.

Earth

As globe warms, atmosphere keeps its cool

Scientists confirm a confusing discrepancy between temperatures at Earth's surface and in its atmosphere.

Health & Medicine

Oxygen limits infections from surgery

Giving patients extra oxygen during and shortly after colorectal surgery halves the incidence of infection.

Animals

Oops. Woodpecker raps were actually gunshots

The knock-knock noises recorded last winter that raised hopes for rediscovering the long-lost ivory-billed woodpecker in Louisiana turn out to have been gunshots instead of bird noises.

Tech

Making a Little Impression: New chip-making method may mold the industry

A simple mechanical means of embossing silicon may offer an alternative to conventional chip-making methods.

Health & Medicine

Stem Cell Gain: Bone marrow cells seem to have what it takes

Tests show that a rodent bone marrow cell similar to one found in people acts as a multipurpose stem cell, much as embryonic stem cells do.