News
-
Health & MedicineNail-gun injuries shoot up
Nail-gun injuries among do-it-yourself carpenters have tripled since 1991.
By Nathan Seppa -
Unintended consequences of cancer therapies
Radiation and chemotherapy can destroy a tumor, but they may also indirectly promote metastasis, the spread of cancerous cells to other organs.
-
Synesthesia tied to brain connections
People who see specific colors when looking at particular letters possess an unusually large number of connections in brain areas that influence word and color perception.
By Bruce Bower -
EarthSouthern seas slow their uptake of CO2
In recent decades, the rate at which oceans in the Southern Hemisphere soak up atmospheric carbon dioxide has slowed.
By Sid Perkins -
AnthropologyWhen female chimps become baby killers
Although long thought to be rare, instances in which female chimps band together to kill other females' infants occur fairly regularly under certain circumstances.
By Bruce Bower -
Health & MedicineMigraines in men linked to heart attack risk
Men who experience migraine headaches are somewhat more likely to have heart attacks than are other men.
By Nathan Seppa -
ChemistryCleaning Treasures: Safer solvents for restoring frescoes
Solvents in nanoscale droplets can be used to clean centuries-old frescoes, saving them from the unintended consequences of previous restorations.
-
Another Layer of Complexity: Short lengths of RNA could provide new form of genetic control
Researchers have discovered a new way that so-called junk DNA could help regulate gene activity.
-
Fly Moves: Insects buzz about in organized abandon
Fruit flies display a penchant for spontaneous behavior that represents an evolutionary building block of voluntary choice, also known as free will, a controversial study suggests.
By Bruce Bower -
Planetary ScienceWater World: Extrasolar planet is loaded with hot ice
Astronomers have found a Neptune-size planet outside the solar system that's composed mainly of water solidified under high pressure.
By Ron Cowen -
AnimalsLow Life: Cold, polar ocean looks surprisingly rich
The first survey of life in deep waters around Antarctica has turned up hundreds of new species and a lot more variety than explorers had expected.
By Susan Milius -
EarthBiological Hot Spots: Ocean eddies may not always lock away carbon
The carbon in the tissues of organisms that bloom inside some ocean eddies doesn't always sink to the ocean floor to be locked away in sediments when those organisms die.
By Sid Perkins