News
- Space
First portraits of Mercury from orbit
MESSENGER spacecraft to capture more than 1,500 images in three days.
By Ron Cowen - Life
Wasps airlift annoying ants
In a scrap over food, being big and able to fly is an advantage.
By Susan Milius - Health & Medicine
Worms live longer with thioflavin T
A dye commonly used by Alzheimer’s disease researchers to spot misshapen proteins gives lab nematodes longer lives, scientists say.
- Space
First shot of Mercury from orbit
MESSENGER has radioed to Earth a new look at the first rock from the sun.
By Ron Cowen - Health & Medicine
New brain cell growth restores function
Regeneration in the hippocampus helps repair learning and memory after injury, mouse experiments suggest.
- Humans
Climate meddling dates back 8,000 years
Cutting down trees put lots of carbon into the atmosphere long before the industrial revolution began.
- Life
DNA flaws can stack up as cancer grows
Acute myeloid leukemia progresses by accumulating various mutations, according to an analysis of one man’s disease over time.
- Chemistry
Japan nuke accident seen from Seattle
Radioactive particles retrieved in the Pacific Northwest offer clues to events inside the crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant.
By Devin Powell - Earth
Major earthquakes not linked
Global seismic risks don’t rise following big events, scientists say.
- Space
Planets take shape in embryonic gas clouds
A new theory of planetary formation may explain variety seen in extrasolar searches.
By Ron Cowen - Humans
Noise is what ails beaked whales
Large-scale experiments reveal a sensitivity to sonar, apparently at lower levels than other species.
- Health & Medicine
Obesity messes with the brain
Excess weight may compromise memory and concentration, possibly by spurring inflammation that damages white matter.
By Janet Raloff