News
- Chemistry
Bitter flavors boost hunger hormone
Experiments in mice may help explain the allure of the aperitif.
- Chemistry
Why olive oil’s quality is in the cough
An anti-inflammatory compound found in the best presses tickles taste sensors in the throat, a study finds.
- Life
Making a worm do more than squirm
A laser used for locomotion control shines light on nematode behavior, one cell at a time.
- Health & Medicine
Tongue piercings worse with metal
Stainless steel or titanium studs collect bacteria more readily than do studs made of plastic or Teflon, a study finds.
By Nathan Seppa - Humans
Reviving the taste of an Iron Age beer
Malted barley from a 2,550-year-old Celtic settlement offers savory insights into ancient malt beverage.
By Bruce Bower - Physics
A twisted way to take pictures
A corkscrew-shaped beam of electrons might someday yield better images of atoms and other tiny things.
- Math
Fruit flies teach computers a lesson
Insect's nerve cell development is a model of efficiency for sensing networks.
- Psychology
The write stuff for test anxiety
A brief writing exercise prompts higher exam scores for students struggling with academic stress.
By Bruce Bower - Earth
2010 ties record for warmest year yet
El Ni±o heated things up even as global temperatures continue to rise in the hottest decade on record.
- Paleontology
Early meat-eating dinosaur unearthed
Pint-sized, two-legged runner from Argentina dates back to the dawn of the dinos, 230 million years ago.
- Humans
Marking penguins for study may do harm
Metal flipper bands used to tell birds apart hamper survival and reproduction, a 10-year study finds.
By Susan Milius - Space
Neighboring black hole puts on weight
Galaxy M87's massive heart weighs as much as 6.6 billion suns.
By Ron Cowen