News
- Space
Martian stairs suggest predictable ancient climate
Tilt in Mars' axis could have created stair-stepped rock formations long ago.
- Life
Spanish Inquisition couldn’t quash Moorish, Jewish genes
Finding suggests modern history, not just prehistory, can leave a strong mark on a region’s genetic signature.
- Life
Funny smell may have split bee species
Among male bees that create their own perfume, a change in the sense of smell might mean a split in species.
- Health & Medicine
Men line up for circumcision in Africa
But demand for the operation, shown to guard against HIV and other infections, exceeds availability.
- Health & Medicine
Fine-scale structure of egg crucial for fertility
Scientists describe the shape of a protein required for conception. These new molecular details will lead to an improved understanding of how sperm and egg unite.
- Earth
Methane even escapes from freezing permafrost
An extended field season reveals that the autumn freeze in the arctic squeezes methane from some high-latitude wetland soils, a match even for summertime methane release.
- Earth
Unveiling hidden craters
Earth is regularly bombarded by small meteorites, but most of the resulting craters are hard to find. A team reports finding one such crater in the forests of west-central Alberta.
- Health & Medicine
Protein found to set the heart’s cadence
Researchers have discovered a molecular metronome that sets the rhythm of the heart and blood pressure.
- Earth
Plate tectonics got an early start
The chemistry of minerals preserved in Australian rocks suggests tectonic activity for Earth’s earliest eon.
- Health & Medicine
Bone density may be determined in the gut
A surprising new connection between the gut and bones may lead to new forms of treatment for human bone diseases such as osteoporosis.
- Earth
Antidepressants make for sad fish
Fish may suffer substantially from even brief encounters with antidepressants, which wastewater releases into river water.
- Health & Medicine
Lifestyle may link depression and heart disease
The association between depression and heart problems could stem from a lack of physical activity and other lifestyle factors.
