News

  1. Outcry saves National Zoo’s research site

    In the final hours, Smithsonian Secretary Lawrence Small withdrew his proposal to close the National Zoo's research center in Front Royal, Virginia.

    By Susan Milius
  2. Health & Medicine

    Gene stifled in some lung, breast cancers

    The silencing of a gene called RASSF1A appears to increase the risk of cancer, studies of lung and breast tumors show.

    By Nathan Seppa

  3. Domesticated goats show unique gene mix

    A genetic analysis finds a surprising amount of genetic unity in goats living in Europe, Africa, and Asia, supporting the theory that goats were widely transported and traded throughout human history.

    By Bruce Bower
  4. Astronomy

    Astronomers get the spin on black holes

    Recording the X-ray flashes emitted by matter as it plunges into one of these gravitational beasts, astronomers last week reported strong evidence that black holes spin like whirling dervishes, dragging space-time along with them.