News
- Astronomy
Milky Way galaxy: Cloaked in a hot shroud?
Spacecraft observations indicate that a vast, unseen halo of hot gas envelopes our home galaxy, the Milky Way, and could literally be brushing up against its nearest neighbors.
- Humans
Record science budget evaded proposed cuts
Congress and the Bush administration have now agreed on unprecedented rises in funding for research and development programs.
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Ancient Gene Takes Grooming in Hand
A gene involved in body development also plays a critical role in regulating the grooming behavior of mice, a discovery that may advance the understanding of certain psychiatric disorders.
- Physics
Electrons grab unexpected energy share
When atoms or molecules react with a metal surface, even briefly, they can inject much more energy into surface electrons than previously realized.
- Physics
Liquid computer takes key quantum step
The first, rudimentary implementation of a method, called Shor's algorithm, for using quantum mechanics in computations suggests that larger-scale implementations are possible and may eventually break the codes used today to protect secret messages on the Internet and elsewhere.
- Earth
Finding fault for an old earthquake
Scientists in Southern California believe they've found evidence that finally identifies the source of one of the region's largest quakes, a magnitude 7-plus temblor that struck the area on Dec. 21, 1812.
- Earth
Satellites could help track sea level
Experiments that used signals from Global Positioning System satellites to precisely measure altitude above a lake's surface may pave the way for fleets of spaceborne sensors that can quickly and inexpensively monitor local and global changes in sea level.
- Health & Medicine
Rwandan patients show unusual HIV
Blood tests on people in Rwanda who have had HIV infections for years without symptoms of AIDS indicate that the viruses in these patients have rare mutations.
- Health & Medicine
Will new approach cure Chagas disease?
Scientists may be able to disable the parasite that causes Chagas disease by targeting the enzyme it uses to make essential fats.
- Health & Medicine
Suppressive drug therapy hinders herpes
A daily regimen of the antiviral drug valacyclovir controls genital herpes vastly better than does the same medication when used only to treat outbreaks of the disease.
- Health & Medicine
Ominous drug-resistance hints appear
The first signs of partial resistance to an important class of drugs called quinolones have appeared in Haemophilus influenzae, a bacterium that can cause pneumonia and meningitis.
- Earth
Bolts from the blue can have long reach
Current U.S. Air Force operating procedures recommend personnel stop working outdoors when lightning is spotted within 5 nautical miles, but a new analysis suggests that this distance may not be adequate to fully protect aircraft and ground crews.
