News
- Genetics
Easter Islanders sailed to Americas, DNA suggests
Genetic ties among present-day populations point to sea crossings centuries before European contact with Easter Island.
- Science & Society
E-commerce sites personalize search results to maximize profits
Travel and retail websites alter search results depending on whether consumers use smartphones or particular web browsers.
- Environment
No water contamination found in Ohio’s fracking epicenter
Methane in Ohio groundwater comes from biological sources, such as bacteria, not fossil fuel exploration.
- Humans
Oldest human DNA narrows time of Neandertal hookups
A 45,000-year-old Siberian bone provides genetic clues about the timing of interbreeding between ancient humans and Neandertals.
- Physics
Magnetic detector identifies single protons
An MRI-like machine can scan an individual proton, raising prospects that a similar technique could eventually image biological molecules one by one.
- Environment
Engineered plants demolish toxic waste
With help from bacteria, plants could one day clean up polluted sites.
- Physics
Perfect fluid of electrons may flow inside superconductor
Understanding superconductors’ viscosity could help inspire scientists to find ways to improve the electric power grid.
- Health & Medicine
Tiny human intestine grown inside mouse
Human gut tissue transplanted into a mouse can grow into a working intestine that doctors could use to test disease treatments.
- Animals
Hearing awful or great singing changes birds’ choice
A male bird’s serenade inspires reactions that depend on the quality of songs a female has been listening to.
- Health & Medicine
Jet lag affects gut microbes
Jet-lagged bacteria in the gut impair mice’s metabolism, causing obesity and diabetes-related problems.
- Physics
Falling raindrops break terminal velocity
Unknown mechanism causes tiny raindrops to fall faster than terminal velocity.
- Climate
Rivers may gush under sullied skies
By dimming sunlight and curbing evaporation, air pollution can increase the amount of water flowing through rivers, new simulations suggest.
