News

  1. Health & Medicine

    Keep on Going: Busy seniors live longer, more proof that it pays to stay active

    Healthy elderly people who burn a lot of calories each day may be gaining extra years of life.

    By Nathan Seppa
  2. Anthropology

    Little Ancestor, Big Debate: Tiny islanders’ identity sparks dispute

    New measurements bolster the 2-year-old claim that fossils of a half-size human ancestor found on an Indonesian island represent a new species.

    By Bruce Bower
  3. Tech

    Farm-Fuel Feedback: Soybeans have advantages over corn

    A new analysis of two biofuels finds that while both provide more energy than they consume, soybean biodiesel gives more bang for the buck than ethanol made from corn.

    By Aimee Cunningham
  4. Animals

    Live Prey for Dummies: Meerkats coach pups on hunting

    Meerkats easing their pups into the job of handling live prey are among the few animal species shown so far to be natural teachers. With audio.

    By Susan Milius
  5. Astronomy

    Explosive Aftermath: Sluggish neutron star puzzles astronomers

    An X-ray–emitting object at the heart of a young supernova remnant doesn't fit the textbook view of what a stellar explosion is supposed to leave behind.

    By Ron Cowen
  6. Humans

    Close Your Books: Cuts, shutdowns loom for EPA libraries

    Some regional libraries maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency will permanently shut their doors because of a proposed cut to their funding.

    By Ben Harder
  7. Health & Medicine

    In utero factors shape responses to stress, sugar

    Abnormal conditions during pregnancy can lead in unexpected ways to physiological problems in children once they reach adulthood.

    By Ben Harder
  8. Health & Medicine

    Thyroid-hormone mimic lowers LDL

    A compound in a new class of potential anti-cholesterol drugs has passed an early test in people.

    By Ben Harder
  9. Anthropology

    Did small hominids have a genetic defect?

    Miniature humans whose prehistoric remains were recently unearthed on an Indonesian island may have had a genetic disease known as Laron syndrome.

    By Ben Harder
  10. Health & Medicine

    Growth hormone’s risks outweigh its benefits

    Human growth hormone has substantial risks and no functional benefits for healthy, elderly people.

    By Ben Harder
  11. Earth

    Asbestos fibers: Barking up a tree

    Sixteen years after a mine with asbestos-contaminated ore shut down, trees in the area still hold hazardous concentrations of wind-deposited asbestos.

    By Janet Raloff
  12. Health & Medicine

    Mad cow disease might linger longer

    A rare but deadly human illness spread by cannibalism has an incubation period in some individuals of about 4 decades.

    By Nathan Seppa