News
- Climate
Lightning strikes will surge with climate change
Climate warming could boost lightning strikes in the United States by roughly 50 percent over the next century.
- Neuroscience
Stopped brain clock saves memory in hamsters
Broken timekeeper in brain may explain some memory problems, hamster study suggests.
By Meghan Rosen - Astronomy
Philae lander reveals stunning, unsettling view of comet
Concerns are surfacing about the Rosetta mission lander Philae’s ability to fully explore comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
- Astronomy
Rosetta mission lander set to explore surface of comet
The Rosetta spacecraft’s minifridge-sized lander Philae is now on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and is beginning to study its geology and chemistry.
- Genetics
Human thoughts control mouse genes
Human brain waves trigger light that activates protein production in rodents.
- Genetics
Genes tell tale of cat domestication
A peek into cats’ genetic makeup may help reveal how hissing wild felines became purring tabbies.
- Astronomy
Rosetta’s countdown to comet landing has begun
Everything is on track for Rosetta mission scientists to attempt to set the Philae lander on the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
- Environment
Thirdhand smoke poses lingering danger
Harmful cigarette chemicals that linger on surfaces, known as thirdhand smoke, can go on to pollute the air and may harm people’s health.
By Beth Mole - Neuroscience
Brain regions linking odors to words pinpointed
Scientists have pinpointed two brain regions involved in linking odors to their names, with implications for why smells are hard to identify.
- Life
Epic worldwide effort explores all of insect history
A whopper of a genetic analysis fits all living orders of insects into one genealogical evolutionary tree.
By Susan Milius - Life
Norovirus grown in lab, with help from bacteria
Norovirus, famous for sickening cruise ship passengers, has finally been grown in human cells in a lab, offering scientists a chance to test new therapies.
By Meghan Rosen - Psychology
With a tap on the back, researchers create ghostly sensation
Experimentally induced illusion probes supernatural experiences, hallucinations.
By Bruce Bower