News
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Insecticide gets help from gut bacteria
The world's most widely used organic insecticide appears to rely on an insect's normal gut flora to do its dirty work.
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TechMuscling up colors for electronic displays
Researchers have found a way to provide the complete color palette for television and computer screens.
By Peter Weiss -
TechLong-Sought Laser? Standard microchips may gain speedy optical connections
Although not made exclusively of silicon, a new type of laser runs on electricity and could be mass manufactured in the same factories as silicon microchips are.
By Peter Weiss -
PaleontologyFlying with Their Legs: Hind feathers made primitive bird nimble
The earliest-known bird had feathers on its legs that may have provided lift for flight, improving its maneuverability.
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AnimalsCrickets on Mute: Hush falls as killer fly stalks singers
Within just 5 years, singing has nearly died out among a population of cricket on a Hawaiian island.
By Susan Milius -
Health & MedicineUV Blocker: Lotion yields protective tan in fair-skinned mice
A lotion that stimulates production of the skin pigment melanin induces a deep tan in specially bred laboratory mice.
By Nathan Seppa -
AstronomyEnigmatic Eruptions: Gamma-ray bursts lack supernova fireworks
The most powerful bursts in the universe may have gotten more mysterious.
By Ron Cowen -
Health & MedicineGraveyard Shift: Prostate cancer linked to rotating work schedule
Men who alternate between daytime and nighttime shifts on their jobs have triple the normal rate of prostate cancer, according to a Japanese nationwide study.
By Ben Harder -
AnthropologyEvolution’s Child: Fossil puts youthful twist on Lucy’s kind
Researchers have announced the discovery of the oldest and most complete fossil child in our evolutionary family yet found.
By Bruce Bower -
Mood disorder cuts work performance
A national survey finds that people with bipolar disorder lose even more workdays each year as a result of their illness than do workers with major depression.
By Bruce Bower -
TechStart your engines
Mechanical engineers have developed a system that greatly decreases the amount of toxic hydrocarbons a car releases.
By Eric Jaffe -
Planetary ScienceSMART stop
The European Space Agency's first mission to the moon ended with a deliberate bang on Sept. 3.
By Ron Cowen