News
-
AnimalsHow roaches fight off wasps that turn their victims into zombies
Cockroaches kick attacking emerald jewel wasps to avoid being incapacitated and buried alive as living meat for the wasps’ young.
By Susan Milius -
AstronomyThe planet-hunting Kepler space telescope is dead
The Kepler space telescope is officially out of fuel and will hunt planets no more, NASA announced.
-
NeuroscienceYoung people’s memories improved when they stopped using marijuana
After just a week of not using pot, teens’ and young adults’ abilities to remember lists of words got better, a small study finds.
-
ChemistryNew devices could help turn atmospheric CO2 into useful supplies
New electrochemical cells transform carbon monoxide into useful chemical compounds like ethylene and acetate much more efficiently than their predecessors.
-
ArchaeologyAncient South Americans tasted chocolate 1,500 years before anyone else
Artifacts with traces of cacao push back the known date for when the plant was first domesticated by 1,500 years.
By Bruce Bower -
ChemistryZapping substances with electrons can quickly map chemical structures
Speedy molecular identification originally developed for proteins might benefit crime lab researchers and drugmakers.
By Carmen Drahl -
Health & MedicineWhat the approval of the new flu drug Xofluza means for you
Xofluza, the first flu antiviral to be approved in 20 years, works differently from other flu drugs.
-
PaleontologyThe first vertebrates on Earth arose in shallow coastal waters
After appearing about 480 million years ago in coastal waters, the earliest vertebrates stayed in the shallows for another 100 million years.
-
PlantsLiverwort plants contain a painkiller similar to the one in marijuana
Cannabinoids found in liverwort plants could spell relief for those suffering from chronic pain.
-
ArchaeologyAncient Clovis people may have taken tool cues from earlier Americans
Ancient Americans’ spearpoints may have heralded later Clovis weapons.
By Bruce Bower -
ClimateHurricane Willa breaks an eastern and central Pacific storm season record
The combined might of eastern and central Pacific hurricanes produced a record-breaking year of storm energy.
-
Health & MedicineTeens use Juul e-cigarettes much more often than other vaping products
Such devices are more popular among youth than other e-cigarettes or regular cigarettes, a study finds.