News
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Health & MedicineSuperbug: What makes one bacterium so deadly
A molecule that pierces immune cells gives some aggressive antibiotic-resistant staph bacteria their fearsome virulence.
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EarthNew climate sensor: Swiss grapes
Records of grape harvests reveal the summer climate in parts of Switzerland as far back as the 1400s.
By Sid Perkins -
Health & MedicineToo little sleep may fatten kids
Lack of sleep may promote childhood obesity.
By Janet Raloff -
TechBucky shrink-wrap
Scientists filmed cage-shaped carbon molecules as they shrank to become buckyballs.
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AgricultureInsects laughing at Bt toxin? Try this
A new countermeasure restores the toxicity of Bt pesticides to insects that have evolved resistance.
By Susan Milius -
AnthropologyWild chimps scale branches of culture
Distinctive behaviors in wild-chimp communities point to a basic cultural capacity in these animals.
By Bruce Bower -
AnimalsMr. Not Wrong: Not my species? Not a problem
Female toads that accept mates of another species in tough times may be looking after their own interest.
By Susan Milius -
Ladies First: Genes skew sex ratios in evolutionary struggle
A gene in fruit flies favors the birth of females, until another gene comes along to restore balance between the sexes.
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EarthYellowstone Rising: Magma floods into chamber beneath park
Some parts of the terrain in Yellowstone National Park have been rising as much as 7 centimeters per year as molten rock wells up beneath the park.
By Sid Perkins -
Not Like Clockwork: High-fat diet disrupts daily routines of mice
Fatty diets disrupt the sleep and metabolic cycles of mice by changing the activity of genes.
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AgricultureSilencing Pests: Altered plants make RNA that keeps insects at bay
Engineered plants make genetic material that disables critical genes in insects that eat the plants, offering a possible new strategy for agricultural-pest control.
By Sarah Webb -
AstronomyRay Tracing: Energetic cosmic rays linked to giant black holes
New observations suggest that ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays originate in the cores of nearby galaxies harboring supermassive black holes.
By Ron Cowen