News
- Health & Medicine
Sensitivity to alcohol connected with alcoholism risk
People for whom alcohol has little effect face a greater risk of developing alcoholism than those who get drunk easily.
By Nathan Seppa - Humans
The inner worlds of conspiracy believers
A study of British volunteers finds that those who endorse 9/11 conspiracy theories also believe in other sorts of conspiracies and share certain personality characteristics.
By Bruce Bower - Chemistry
Beryllium-beryllium bond illuminated
Scientists study the partnership between two atoms of beryllium, which chemical theory says shouldn’t exist.
- Health & Medicine
Neurons take a break during stage 2 sleep
Electrical markers associated with stage 2 sleep indicate downtime for neurons.
- Animals
For some birds, chancy climates mean better singers
In the mockingbird family, the most accomplished musical species tend to live in treacherous climates.
By Susan Milius -
- Life
Life on Earth took a licking, kept on ticking
Earth's early organisms may not have had to restart after a long spell of asteroid impacts.
By Sid Perkins -
Characteristics that help coral bounce back
New report outlines features that make a reef able to deal with environmental stress.
- Health & Medicine
How Down syndrome works against cancer
A surplus of cancer-suppressing protein encoded by a gene on an extra copy of chromosome 21 may explain in part why people with Down syndrome seldom get cancer.
By Nathan Seppa - Physics
Europium’s superconductivity demonstrated
A rare earth metal is the 53rd naturally occurring element to possess the property.
- Humans
An unusual budget cycle
The first Obama budget rolled out slowly and in atypical fashion.
By Janet Raloff - Paleontology
Ancient fish with killer bite
Dunkleosteus clamped down on prey with three-quarters-of-a-ton bite force.
By Sid Perkins