News
- Genetics
People’s genes welcome their microbes
In mice and humans, genetic variants seem to control the bacterial mix on and in bodies.
- Chemistry
Floating beads of water act as tiny test tubes
Chemists exploit pH and ion charge in superheated water drops to create nanoparticles.
By Beth Mole - Physics
Material looks cool while heating up
Substance that tricks infrared camera could pave the way for new types of camouflage and heating technology.
- Astronomy
Oort cloud tosses astronomers a cometary curveball
In late November, ISON will deliver debris from the dawn of the solar system to Earth’s doorstep.
- Life
Scorpion venom kills pain in mice
Toxin works with nerve proteins to block distress signals’ journey to brain.
By Meghan Rosen - Animals
Common pesticides change odds in ant fights
Species’ combat success can rise or fall after repeated exposure to a common neonicotinoid insecticide.
By Susan Milius - Psychology
Groups recall travel details better than loners
Small teams of people can recite key information from public announcements better than any one person.
By Bruce Bower - Neuroscience
Brain stimulation restores movement in rats with spinal cord damage
Implanted electrodes might help paralyzed humans walk.
- Quantum Physics
Single electron caught in action
Researchers have found a way to isolate the behavior of one particle.
By Andrew Grant - Anthropology
Hunting boosts lizard numbers in Australian desert
Reptiles prefer to live in places aboriginal people have burned.
- Neuroscience
3-D effects may require one eye only
Peering through a peephole can bring flat images to life.
- Animals
Amphibian killer forces immune-cell suicides
Fungal menace to frogs and their kin shuts down key parts of the animals’ defenses.
By Susan Milius