News
- Tech
Life Swap: Switching genomes converts bacteria
Transplanting the entire genome of one species of bacteria into another paves the way for making synthetic microbes with manmade DNA.
- Planetary Science
Music to alien ears
Saturn's moon Titan may be the best rock concert venue in the solar system, according to computer simulations of sound propagation on other worlds.
- Physics
Stradivari’s secrets
Three-dimensional imaging of a classic violin's vibrations explains the instrument's superior ability to direct sound to the audience.
- Chemistry
A sweet way to replace petroleum?
Thanks to a new chemical process, many products now manufactured from petroleum could one day be made from sugar molecules.
- Health & Medicine
Nerves are key to longevity effect
The life-extending effect that some animals get from calorie-restricted diets may depend on signals from the brain.
- Earth
Double-acting bacteria immobilize toxic nanoparticles
Bacteria lurking in the bowels of an abandoned Wisconsin mine might help remove toxic metals from polluted water.
- Animals
West Nile virus hits bird populations
West Nile virus has hammered populations of five common North American birds.
- Planetary Science
Eris dwarfs Pluto
Ex-planet Pluto suffers another demotion, as observations show that it's much less massive than Eris, another distant denizen of the outer solar system.
- Tech
A computer in every cell
Artificial genes inserted into cells make RNA molecules that can perform logical computations.
- Animals
Profiles in Courtship: Flirting male fish show their best sides
Courting male guppies that sport a tad more orange on one side of their bodies than on the other tend to flash that brighter side at females.
- Paleontology
Jurassic CSI: Fossils indicate central nervous system damage
Fossils found in the head-thrown-back position, the so-called "dead bird" pose, probably died from central nervous system damage.
- Chemistry
Beyond Ethanol: Synthetic fuel offers promising alternative
A faster, simpler manufacturing technique could make a synthetic biofuel into an even stronger competitor to ethanol.
