News
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Wrong Impression: Bipolar kids misinterpret facial cues as hostile
Children with bipolar disorder are more likely than other kids to read hostility in bland facial expressions.
By Nathan Seppa - Earth
Lazarus, the amphibian
The painted frog, unseen for more than a decade and feared to be extinct, has resurfaced in a remote desert highland of Colombia.
By Ben Harder -
Herpes Runs Interference: Researchers discover how virus sticks around
Herpes simplex virus 1, which causes cold sores, uses a short, double-stranded RNA to outwit a cell's defensive measures.
- Earth
Pumped-up Poison Ivy: Carbon dioxide boosts plant’s size, toxicity
Rising carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could make poison ivy grow much faster and become more toxic.
By Susan Milius -
Evolving genes may not size up brain
Two gene variants previously implicated in the evolution of human brain size apparently don't influence brain volumes in people today.
By Bruce Bower - Health & Medicine
At iconic Asian temple, monkeys harbor viruses
Temple sites in South and Southeast Asia that offer refuge to monkeys also shelter monkey viruses.
By Ben Harder - Health & Medicine
Common drugs offer some hot flash relief
Antidepressants and some other prescription drugs reduce the number of hot flashes that many women experience during menopause.
By Nathan Seppa - Physics
As waters part, polygons appear
When rapidly swirled inside a stationary bucket, liquids can form whirlpools of surprising shapes, such as triangles and hexagons.
By Peter Weiss - Archaeology
Jarring clues to Tut’s white wine
Chemical analyses of residue from jars found in King Tutankhamen's tomb have yielded the first evidence of white wine in ancient Egypt.
By Bruce Bower - Materials Science
Gripping Tale: Metal oozes in nanotubes’ grasp
Carbon nanotubes can squeeze substances inside them with such high pressures that even hard metals squish like putty.
By Peter Weiss - Animals
Lobster Hygiene: Healthy animals quick to spot another’s ills
Caribbean spiny lobsters will avoid sharing a den with another lobster that's coming down with a viral disease.
By Susan Milius -
Big Oil, Tiny Barons: Microbes can unleash trapped petroleum
Specialized microbes can lift trapped oil from wells long gone dry.