News
- Health & Medicine
Prenatal surgery may be preferable for spina bifida
Performing an operation preterm shows better results against the neural tube defect than waiting until the baby is born, but there are trade-offs, a new study shows.
By Nathan Seppa - Life
Small part of brain itching for a fight
A cluster of cells compels aggressive behavior in mice.
- Life
Buried microbes coax energy from rock
In experiments, microorganisms can stimulate minerals to produce hydrogen, a key fuel for growth in a thriving subterranean world.
- Humans
Adaptive no more
A potential benefit in prehistoric lean times, genetic variant may increase risk of gestational diabetes today.
- Health & Medicine
Allergic to cancer
Having an overactive immune system may protect against certain types of brain tumor, a study suggests.
- Space
The sun, captured from all the angles
NASA reveals the first 360-degree panorama of the sun, which should enable early detection of potentially damaging solar storms.
By Ron Cowen - Earth
Extinctions breed carbon chaos
Massive die-off left ecosystems vulnerable, an analysis suggests.
- Astronomy
Supernova to superfluid
Neutron stars, some of the densest objects in the universe, may be cooled by frictionless liquid sloshing in their cores.
By Devin Powell - Life
Running a cancer roadblock
A new study shows how cells escaping from a breast tumor overcome a piece of RNA that usually stops them.
- Space
First stars may still shine
Simulations suggest some slow-burning remnants of the early universe may still exist.
By Ron Cowen - Humans
Running past Neandertals
Stone Age humans’ heel bones, more so than those of Neandertals, aided long-distance running.
By Bruce Bower - Physics
X-raying life’s microscopic machinery
A powerful new laser technique promises to reveal the cell’s molecular components in detailed, 3-D images.