News
- Anthropology
Ancient-ape remains discovered in Kenya
Newly unearthed fossils of a 9.8-million-year-old ape in eastern Africa come from a creature that may have evolved into a common ancestor of African apes and humans.
By Bruce Bower - Health & Medicine
Biohazard: Smoking before or after pregnancy may harm daughters’ fertility
Smoking before pregnancy or during breastfeeding might impair the female offspring's fertility, a study in mice shows.
By Nathan Seppa - Physics
Einstein Unruffled: Relativity passes stringent new tests
The moon's orbit and the dilated time of speeding atoms give new meaning to 'Einstein was right.'
- Health & Medicine
Wrong Way: HIV vaccine hinders immunity in mice
An HIV vaccine hurts, not helps, the immune systems of mice, say scientists.
By Brian Vastag - Materials Science
Snappy Transition: Venus flytrap inspires new materials
Inspired by the quick-shut action of the Venus flytrap, researchers have designed a patterned surface with microscale hills that can rapidly flip to form valleys.
By Sarah Webb - Plants
It Takes a Village: Tweaking neighbors reroutes evolution
The other residents of a plant's neighborhood can make a big difference in whether evolutionary forces favor or punish a plant's trait.
By Susan Milius -
Hold the Embryos: Genes turn skin into stem cells
Scientists have found a way to convert a person's skin cells directly into stem cells without creating and destroying embryos.
- Paleontology
A toothy smile
Nigersaurus boasted more than 500 teeth, arranged in rows across its mouth.
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Tadpole Slayer: Mystery epidemic imperils frogs
An emerging protozoal disease has begun to trigger mass die-offs of frog tadpoles throughout much of the United States.
By Janet Raloff - Health & Medicine
9/11 reflux
Up to 20 percent of 9/11 workers in New York City experience symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease, also called acid reflux.
By Brian Vastag - Tech
Crystal clear
Growing nanowires directly on a crystal might lead to high-density memory chips and transparent LEDs
- Math
Net advantage
When damaged, networks that seem resilient can still become inefficient to the point of being unusable.