News
- Archaeology
Pueblo traded for chocolate big-time
New evidence of ancient Pueblo cacao drinking feeds a theory of long-distance trade.
By Bruce Bower - Humans
Record ozone thinning looms in Arctic
Depletion could expose the northern midlatitudes to higher-than-normal ultraviolet radiation in coming weeks.
By Janet Raloff - Earth
Cave formations record Black Sea deluges
Stalagmites in a Turkish grotto document 670,000 years of flooding.
- Astronomy
New study gives dark energy a boost
Measurements provide further evidence for a cosmic push that is accelerating the expansion of the universe.
By Ron Cowen - Earth
Japan quake location a surprise
Based on regional tectonics, seismologists expected the biggest events in the island's southern half.
By Devin Powell - Humans
New stars of science honored in D.C.
The 2011 Intel Science Talent Search awards prizes to 10 young researchers.
- Life
Don’t trust any elephant under 60
Herds with older leaders are more attuned to danger, a study finds.
By Susan Milius - Health & Medicine
Blood tests could forewarn of emphysema
Certain microparticles or proteins suggest nascent disease, even in smokers who appear healthy, two studies show.
By Nathan Seppa - Humans
Jumping on the bandwagon brings rewards
A study of day traders finds that being in the crowd can lead to better performance.
- Humans
Japan struggles to control earthquake-damaged nuke plant
With the failure of multiple backup systems, desperate measures are employed to keep at least three reactors from melting down.
- Life
Antibiotics may make fighting flu harder
The drugs kill helpful bacteria that keep the immune system primed against viral infections.
- Earth
How continents do the splits
East African seismic study reveals how land gives way to ocean crust.