News
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PhysicsSpeedy impacts send microwave distress calls
Laboratory smash-ups mimicking those between fast-moving space debris and satellites appear to emit microwave bursts, suggesting that microwave detectors might someday prove useful for monitoring the health of spacecraft.
By Peter Weiss -
AnimalsTadpoles kill by supersuction
A high-speed video shows tiny African tadpoles that catch their prey in a manner unlike that used by any other frog larvae: by shooting out a tubular mouth for superfast suction.
By Susan Milius -
Health & MedicineImmune protein may stall HIV
People who have HIV but don't progress to AIDS make extra perforin, a protein that helps kill infected cells.
By Nathan Seppa -
Planetary ScienceEuropa’s freckles
Reddish spots and shallow pits that pepper the surface of Jupiter's moon Europa may mark regions where warmer and less dense ice percolates to the surface.
By Ron Cowen -
Planetary ScienceAnother moon for Uranus
Astronomers have confirmed the existence of the 21st moon known to be orbiting Uranus.
By Ron Cowen -
Health & MedicineDuct tape sticks it to warts
Treating a wart with a covering of duct tape seems to be more effective—and less painful—than removing the wart by freezing it with liquid nitrogen.
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EarthPesticides block male hormones
Some common pesticides can block the ability of androgens, male sex hormones, to trigger normal gene activities.
By Janet Raloff -
EarthWeed killer feminizes fish
The weed killer atrazine can turn normally hermaphroditic fish into females, a new study shows.
By Janet Raloff -
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Materials ScienceWorm’s teeth conceal odd mineral material
A worm's teeth contain a copper mineral that could serve as a model for new materials.
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Memory grows up in 1-year-olds
As children enter the second year of life, they exhibit a marked improvement in recalling simple events after a 4-month delay, perhaps reflecting the growth of memory-related brain areas.
By Bruce Bower -
AstronomyMilky Way black hole gets real
Tracing the path of a star orbiting near the center of our galaxy, astronomers have found the best evidence to date that a supermassive black hole lies at the Milky Way’s core.
By Ron Cowen