News
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Health & MedicineTuberculosis bacterium subverts basic cell functions
The tuberculosis microbe makes compounds that alter basic systems inside key immune cells, facilitating the bacterium’s survival in the body, new research shows.
By Nathan Seppa -
Planetary ScienceSolar system’s future could be bumpy
A new study assesses the chances that two planets will collide or a planet will plunge into the sun in the next 5 billion years.
By Sid Perkins -
AstronomyPinning down a pulsar’s age
Reporting at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society, researchers suggest some of these swirling stellar remnants are older, younger by a factor of 10.
By Ron Cowen -
LifeHummingbird pulls Top Gun stunts
Male hummingbirds set record for extreme plunges out of the sky.
By Susan Milius -
SpaceGalactic black holes may be more massive than thought
The giant black holes at the cores of massive nearby galaxies may be two to four times heftier than estimated.
By Ron Cowen -
EarthWhen the Great Lakes were lower
New archaeological evidence shows signs of prehistoric hunting and other human activities on now-submerged portions of Lake Huron.
By Sid Perkins -
PhysicsFriction gives snakes a smooth slither
Combination of friction and push propels snakes forward on flat surfaces.
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HumansChildren get social with virtual peers
Life-size 3-D versions of children can draw kids with autism into social encounters and more news from the annual meeting of the Jean Piaget Society in Park City, Utah, June 4-6.
By Bruce Bower -
HumansAutism care takes biological toll on mothers
Caring for teens and young adults with autism not only creates intense psychological pressure on mothers but may promote sharply decreased production of a crucial stress hormone, a long-term study suggests.
By Bruce Bower -
EcosystemsFrom sea to squid, thanks to slime
Scientists have revealed new details about the genes — and the goo — that enable luminescent bacteria to colonize their symbiotic marine partner.
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ChemistryProtein caught in the act
Researchers have developed a new way to see where the molecules are active.
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EarthUnexplained atmospheric chemistry detected
A field study in China reveals an unusually high and unexplained production of hydroxyl radicals.
By Sid Perkins