News
- Health & Medicine
Lonely white cells
In chronically lonely people, white blood cells show abnormal gene activity that may affect health through immune responses.
By Brian Vastag - Earth
Iron to blame
Typhoons that drench Madagascar and spill iron-rich runoff into the Indian Ocean account for that region's massive but sporadic algal blooms.
- Animals
Tough-guy bluebirds need a frontier
As western bluebirds recolonize Montana, the most aggressive males move in first, paving the way for milder-mannered dads to take over.
By Susan Milius -
- Planetary Science
Neptune’s balmy south pole
Neptune's south pole is about 10°C warmer than any other place on the planet.
By Ron Cowen - Agriculture
Web Special: You fertilized with what?
A study shows that farmers can substitute human urine for conventional fertilizer.
By Janet Raloff - Anthropology
Sail Away: Tools reveal extent of ancient Polynesian trips
Rock from Hawaii was fashioned into a stone tool found in Polynesian islands more than 4,000 kilometers to the south, indicating that canoeists made the sea journey around 1,000 years ago.
By Bruce Bower - Health & Medicine
Lack of Evidence: Vaccine additive not linked to developmental problems
Thimerosal, a mercury-containing vaccine preservative, shows no signs of causing memory, attention or other problems in children.
By Brian Vastag -
Bugs in Space: Genes explain why salmonella grow deadlier when freed from Earth’s gravity
Bacteria that flew on a space shuttle became deadlier than their earthbound counterparts.
-
Double Trouble: Tumors have two-pronged defense
By depleting an essential amino acid and releasing a toxin, cancer cells can ward off attack by the immune system.
-
Jungle Down There: What’s a kelp forest doing in the tropics?
Kelp, algae that grow in cold water, turn out to be surprisingly widespread in tropical seas.
By Susan Milius - Health & Medicine
Keep Out: Treated mosquito nets limit child deaths
Mosquito nets treated with insecticides decrease death rates among children in Kenya's malarial zones.
By Nathan Seppa