News
- Animals
Rough lessons can lessen the pull of human scent on a mosquito
A form of aversion therapy for mosquitoes shows they can connect human scent to a bad experience.
By Susan Milius - Quantum Physics
‘Arrow of time’ reversed in quantum experiment
In quantum systems, heat can flow “backward,” from cold to hot.
- Animals
Seeds coated in a common pesticide might affect birds’ migration
Eating small amounts of a neonicotinoid pesticide can disorient white-crowned sparrows.
- Plants
The dietary habits of the emerald ash borer beetle are complicated
Tests answer some questions about the emerald ash borer’s hidden taste for olive and fringe trees.
By Susan Milius - Materials Science
This material does weird things under pressure
A new metamaterial has a seemingly impossible property: It swells when squeezed.
- Archaeology
Skeletons could provide clues to who wrote or protected the Dead Sea Scrolls
Skeletons suggest a group of celibate men inhabited Dead Sea Scrolls site.
By Bruce Bower - Genetics
Current CRISPR gene drives are too strong for outdoor use, studies warn
Self-limiting genetic tools already in development may be able to get around concerns surrounding the use of gene drives.
By Susan Milius - Particle Physics
Excess antielectrons aren’t from nearby dead stars, study says
Pulsars might not be behind excess antimatter, gamma-ray observations suggest.
- Neuroscience
Study casts doubt on whether adult brain’s memory-forming region makes new cells
An examination of 54 human brains suggests that adults don’t grow new neurons in the hippocampus, contrary to several widely accepted studies.
- Astronomy
Haze keeps Pluto cool by kicking heat out to space
Pluto may be the only place in the solar system whose atmosphere is kept cool by solid hazes, not warmed by gas.
- Animals
These spiders may have the world’s fastest body clocks
Three orb-weaving spiders may have the shortest circadian clocks yet discovered among animals.
- Health & Medicine
New blood pressure guidelines put half of U.S. adults in unhealthy range
New hypertension guidelines broaden the range of those considered to have high blood pressure and emphasize lifestyle changes to combat the condition.