News
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EarthBursting in Air: Satellites tally small asteroid hits
On average, a small asteroid slams into Earth's atmosphere and explodes with the energy of 1,000 Hiroshima-size blasts once every thousand years or so, a rate that is less than one-third as high as scientists previously supposed.
By Sid Perkins -
Planetary ScienceLeapin’ Lava! Volcanic eruption on Io breaks the record
Pointing a ground-based telescope at Jupiter's moon Io, astronomers have recorded the most powerful volcano ever observed in the solar system.
By Ron Cowen -
Life or Death: Immune genes determine outcome of strep infection
Subtle variations among people's immune genes may largely account for radically different outcomes when people get a strep infection.
By John Travis -
Health & MedicineGene change linked to poor memory
A subtle change in a gene encoding a brain chemical may give some people better memory skills than others.
By John Travis -
Health & MedicineSlow brain repair seen in Huntington’s
In people with Huntington's disease, the brain tries to replace dying nerve cells.
By John Travis -
Scanning a brain that’s out of tune
Scientists have scanned the brain of a man who had great difficulty playing a tune and showed that his brain doesn't react normally to music.
By John Travis -
Mutant mice resist morphine’s appeal
A protein on nerve cells appears to be the key to developing morphine addiction.
By John Travis -
Health & MedicineGene may keep breast cancer at bay
Scientists have identified a gene that seems to protect against some common breast cancers.
By Nathan Seppa -
TechHidden Costs: It takes much stuff to make one tiny chip
A new analysis reveals that the production of a single 2-gram microchip requires nearly 2 kilograms of chemicals and fossil fuels.
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Health & MedicineAttack of the Clones: Immune cells single out melanoma tumors
Scientists can extract immune system cells that recognize tumor cells from people with melanoma, culture the rare cells to greatly increase their number, and inject them into the patients, sometimes putting the brakes on cancer.
By Nathan Seppa -
The Brain’s Funny Bone: Seinfeld, The Simpsons spark same nerve circuits
Brain scans of people watching sitcoms show that different brain regions spark with activity when a person initially gets a joke versus when he or she subsequently responds to its humor.
By John Travis -
AnimalsEar for Killers: Seals discern foes’ from neighbor-whales’ calls
Harbor seals eavesdrop on killer whales and can tell the harmless neighborhood fish eaters from roving gangs with a taste for fresh seal.
By Susan Milius