News
- Health & Medicine
Trade-offs in fibroids treatments
A minimally invasive procedure to cure uterine fibroids is less expensive, but also appears to be less effective, than surgery.
By Nathan Seppa - Chemistry
Magnet makeover
A new family of magnets may be a first step toward organic versions of the familiar metal objects.
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Child abuse heralds adult inflammation
A long-term study in New Zealand indicates that child abuse leads to a disruption of part of the stress response in adulthood that has been linked to heart disease, diabetes, and chronic lung disease.
By Bruce Bower - Plants
Secret Agent: Hidden helper lets fungus save plants from heat
A fungus that supposedly lets plants live in overheated soil turns out to work only if it's infected with a certain virus.
By Susan Milius - Health & Medicine
Good Poison? Carbon monoxide may stifle multiple sclerosis
A study in mice suggests that small amounts of carbon monoxide might alleviate symptoms of multiple sclerosis.
By Nathan Seppa - Paleontology
Ancient Glider: Dinosaur took to the air in biplane style
About 125 million years before the Wright Brothers took to the air with their biplane, a 1-meter-long dinosaur may have been swooping from tree to tree using the same arrangement of wings.
By Sid Perkins - Astronomy
Magnificent McNaught
Flaunting a majestic tail over southern skies, Comet McNaught became in mid-January the brightest comet in more than 40 years.
By Ron Cowen - Health & Medicine
Salve for the Lungs: Aspirin might prevent asthma
Regular use of aspirin may prevent healthy adults from developing asthma.
By Ben Harder -
Mind over Muscle: Placebo boosts health benefits of exercise
The physical rewards of exercise derive not just from muscular exertion but also from a person's mind-set about exercise.
By Bruce Bower - Tech
Making a 3-D Microscope: Technique brings entire sample into focus
A new imaging technique creates microscopic three-dimensional views of tissues within a patient's body and can update those images several times a second.
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Addiction Subtraction: Brain damage curbs cigarette urge
Scientists have identified an area of the brain where damage seems to quickly halt a person's desire to smoke.
- Planetary Science
Stellar death may spawn solar system
Material shed by a dying star might give birth to planets.
By Ron Cowen