News
- Space
New action film set in solar system’s center
For the first time, solar astronomers have tracked a comet on a collision course with the sun.
By Ron Cowen - Life
Artificial butterfly mixes high, low tech
Model shows importance of wing veins and bobbing flight to keeping swallowtails aloft.
By Susan Milius - Space
Probing the heart and soul of star formation
An infrared spacecraft has captured a penetrating view of two dusty nebulae about 6,000 light-years from Earth.
By Ron Cowen -
- Psychology
Gene makes kids more vulnerable to bullying’s effects
Kids who get bullied a lot can develop serious emotional problems, especially if they possess a certain gene.
By Bruce Bower - Space
Herschel telescope unveils icy debris ringing sunlike stars
New infrared images may reveal analogues of the solar system’s Kuiper belt.
By Ron Cowen - Life
Genome from a bottle
Cells switch species when given synthetic DNA, an advance that could lead to designer organisms.
- Physics
Some ‘ball lightning’ reports may be hallucinations
Magnetic fields generated by real bolts could trigger visual effects in the brain.
- Chemistry
Exposure of moms-to-be to hormone-mimicking chemical may affect kids years later
In mice, BPA can cause pregnancy complications that can also trigger later metabolic effects in both moms and grown male offspring.
By Janet Raloff - Space
Matter beats out antimatter in experimental echo of creation
A larger-than-expected imbalance could presage major physics breakthroughs.
By Ron Cowen - Climate
Oceans warmed in recent decades
Measurements show a trend of rising temperatures along with a leveling off since 2003.
By Sid Perkins - Animals
Argonauts use shells as flotation devices
The octopus relatives create their own buoyancy devices by gulping and hoarding air from the surface.
By Susan Milius