News
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Life’s Housing May Come from Space
The cell-like envelopes in which life on Earth arose and evolved may literally have dropped from the sky.
- Earth
Seismic shivers tell of tornado touchdown
Researchers say they can now use earthquake-detecting seismometers to detect and possibly track all but the weakest tornadoes.
- Earth
Electricity-leaking office equipment
Nearly 2 percent of U.S. electricity each year goes to power office equipment that had ostensibly been turned off.
- Earth
Contaminants still lace some meats
Tainted ingredients of livestock feed can contribute to worrisome residues of organochlorines, such as PCBs, ending up in meat.
- Earth
Plastic debris picks up ocean toxics
Some plastics can accumulate toxic pollutants from water, increasing the risk that they might poison wildlife mistaking these plastics for food.
- Earth
Resuscitating the Gulf’s dead zone
State, federal, and Indian agencies have joined forces to develop policies aimed at stemming a huge, seasonal zone in the Gulf of Mexico where oxygen levels are too low to sustain most aquatic life.
- Health & Medicine
‘Bug’ spray cuts risk of ear infection
Spraying “good” bacteria into the nose reduced the incidence of ear infections in children especially prone to such infections.
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Do bacteria swap genes in deadly game?
The genome of a toxic Escherichia coli strain shows that the pathogen had picked up chunks of DNA from unrelated, ineffective bacteria, acquiring unpleasant traits that can send people to the hospital.
- Humans
Science Talent Search announces finalists
Science Service and Intel announced the 40 finalists of the 2001 Intel Science Talent Search this week.
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People on the go follow the flow
The human visual system flexibly uses available visual information for guidance as people walk toward targets, according to tests conducted in virtual environments that violate the laws of optics.
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Teenage depression shows family ties
Parents and siblings of severely depressed teenagers suffer from a disproportionately high rate of severe depression, strengthening the theory that a common form of this disorder afflicts young and old alike.
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Conductors single out sour side notes
Experienced classical-music conductors learn to pinpoint the sources of sounds originating from the side as well from in front of them, an essential skill for fine-tuning the performance of each musician in an orchestra.
