News
- Planetary Science
What whacked the inner solar system?
Planetary scientists have determined that the cavalcade of space debris that hammered the inner solar system for the first 700 million years of its existence were main-belt asteroids, not comets.
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Brains disconnect as people sleep
Rather than turning off completely during sleep, the brain shuts down communication among structures that make up neural networks.
- Physics
Transistor laser flaunts twin talents
A transistor that doubles as a laser can now operate at room temperature, bringing it to the verge of practical applications.
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Concentrated Guidance: Attention training gives kids a cognitive push
A brief course on how to pay attention boosts children's scores on either intelligence or attention tests, depending on their age.
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Milky seas clarified
With the help of satellites, scientists have obtained the first-ever photos of an expanse of seawater filled with bioluminescent bacteria.
- Astronomy
Cosmic Ray Font: Supernova remnants rev up ions
High-resolution X-ray images of the Tycho supernova remnant offer new evidence that supernova shock waves generate most cosmic rays that bombard Earth.
- Health & Medicine
Give It Up: Cutting back helps, but even a cigarette or two a day carries risks
Reducing tobacco use curbs the risk of lung cancer, but smoking even a few cigarettes a day puts a person at three to five times the risk faced by a nonsmoker.
- Health & Medicine
Better Beta: Cells grown in lab may treat diabetes
Scientists have developed a technique to mass-produce a type of pancreas cell needed for transplants into people with type 1 diabetes.
- Chemistry
Into the Void: Porous crystals could do more chemistry
Chemists have devised a new approach that creates crystalline material with some of the largest pores yet.
- Animals
Looks Matter: If swallows aren’t spiffy, mates’ fidelity is iffy
If a male barn swallow's plumage is more attractive than that of other males, his mate is less likely to have furtive flings with other wooers.
- Health & Medicine
Falling Influence: Influenza fighters have limited effects
The most readily available drugs against influenza have abruptly declined in effectiveness in the past decade.
- Planetary Science
Sun grazers: A thousand comets and counting
An amateur astronomer analyzing images from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory has found the 999th and 1,000th comets detected by the craft.
