News
- Earth
Lack of oxygen locks up peat’s carbon
The inactivity of a single enzyme in peat due to the lack of oxygen may be the only thing preventing massive releases of carbon dioxide from the peatlands.
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Inbred cattle don’t look bad at all
A herd of feral cattle that hasn't had new blood for at least 300 years seems to have avoided the genetic risks of inbreeding.
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Genetic search for an equine Eve fails
Genetic analysis suggests an unusual history for modern horses: lots of independent domestications instead of the usual few.
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Cloned gaur born healthy, then dies
The first cloned gaur, a rare, Asian oxlike creature, died when only a few days old but proved the technique worked.
- Health & Medicine
Teeth grinding linked to sleep apnea
Rhythmic grinding of teeth during sleep occurs at least once a week in as many as 8.2 percent of people.
- Health & Medicine
Lyme vaccine works in a curious way
Antibodies formed in response to the vaccine against Lyme disease kill the bacteria that cause it while they are still in the deer tick that spreads it.
- Health & Medicine
It pays to keep those islet cells
A patient who has inflammation of the pancreas and needs to have the organ removed can avoid getting diabetes if islet cells are salvaged from the pancreas and reimplanted into the liver.
- Materials Science
Droplets string themselves together
Under the right conditions, mixing two incompatible polymers can produce drops that organize themselves into strings.
- Paleontology
Did ancient superbees squash diversity?
The recent discovery of several dozen extinct bee species in ancient amber deposits has led one paleontologist to propose that the very success of some bees' social lifestyle led to today's dearth of hive-dwelling species.
- Health & Medicine
HIV-related viruses still cross species line
Various potentially dangerous strains of simian immunodeficiency virus exist in wild primates in Africa and are still being spread among people who hunt the animals for meat.
- Physics
Force from empty space drives a machine
A novel micromachine uses quantum fluctuations of empty space to help drive its motion.
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Infection divides two wasp species
Two tiny wasp species provide the best evidence yet that infection by Wolbachia bacteria can play a role in forming species.
