News
- Humans
Genetic diversity exploded in recent millennia
Among hundreds of thousands of DNA variants identified in a study, a large majority arose in the past 5,000 years.
- Life
Blue whales’ diet and exercise rolled into one
Marine predator performs underwater acrobatics for best chance at catching a meal.
By Susan Milius - Health & Medicine
Auditory test predicts coma awakening
While all patients in a new study could discriminate between sounds early on, those whose ability improved during the first 48 hours wound up recovering.
By Tanya Lewis - Life
Trees worldwide a sip away from dehydration
Plumbing systems operate on a razor’s edge, making even moist forests highly vulnerable to drought.
By Susan Milius - Space
Glimpse at early universe finds expansion slowdown
BOSS project looks at acceleration rate before dark energy hit the gas.
By Andrew Grant - Life
Chromosome ends hold clues to a bird’s longevity
Short telomeres are tied to higher mortality in Indian Ocean warblers.
- Earth
Mexican silver made it into English coins
Chemical tests of currency help reveal where New World riches flowed.
- Psychology
Word-detecting baboons are a tough read
New models offer contrasting views of monkeys’ ability to identify frequently seen letter pairs.
By Bruce Bower - Tech
Printed robot moves with a beat
Tiny device created with a 3-D printer employs heart cells to make it move.
- Earth
Gulf spill harmed small fish, studies indicate
Effects vary but dire impacts seen with some very low exposures.
By Janet Raloff - Health & Medicine
Protein’s destructive journey in brain may cause Parkinson’s
Clumps of alpha-synuclein move through dopamine-producing cells, mouse study finds.
- Planetary Science
Digging deep into Martian soil
NASA's rover takes a closer look at Mars' surface.
By Nadia Drake