News
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Health & MedicineDelivering a knockout
Scientists have finally succeeded in genetically engineering rats.
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Haiti quake reveals previously unknown fault
Scientists say the risk of future temblors in region is unclear.
By Sid Perkins -
LifeHow salmonella helps kill cancer cells
A bacterial foe gives the immune system a boost to seek and destroy melanoma. The findings may point to a vaccine for melanoma and other malignancies.
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ArchaeologyLucy’s kind used stone tools to butcher animals
Animal bones found in East Africa show the oldest signs of stone-tool use and meat eating by hominids.
By Bruce Bower -
ChemistrySuperconductors go fractal
Oxygen atoms arrange themselves in a self-similar pattern to help conduct electricity without resistance.
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LifeOrangutans can mime their desires
Animals’ ability to act out what they want suggests an understanding of others’ perspectives, researchers say.
By Susan Milius -
Health & MedicineSpindles foster sound slumber
In “a very clever study,” researchers show that distinctive brain signals help sustain sleep in noisy environments.
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EarthForest loss slows in Brazilian Amazon
Between 2004 and 2009, the rate of clearing dropped almost 75 percent.
By Sid Perkins -
LifeAphids, abandon ship
Warm, humid mammal breath drives the insects to jump off plants.
By Susan Milius -
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EarthRodent poop gauges ancient rains
The size of chinchilla pellets reveals past desert environment.
By Sid Perkins -
LifeRemoving a barrier to regrowing organs
Depleting proteins that prevent cancer allowed heart cells to regenerate in mouse experiments.