News

Animals

Cat History: DNA study finds domestic-cat kin

DNA evidence shows that the Near Eastern lineage of the wildcat, one of five lineages of Felis silvestris, gave rise to today's domestic kitty cats.

Tech

Biowarfare: Engineered virus can invade bacterial film

A genetically engineered virus not only kills bacteria but makes an enzyme that breaks up the biofilm in which the bacteria live.

Tech

Cellular Smugglers: Laden nanoparticles hitch a ride on bacteria

Molecular cargoes loaded onto nanoparticles can sneak into mammalian cells on the backs of bacteria.

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.