News
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Wired for math
The same neural circuits that adults use to perform complex calculations are already at work in preschoolers doing basic math.
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HumansClinical trials really pay off
Large-scale human trials of new treatments in medicine have the potential to offer huge economic benefits from improved quality of life.
By Janet Raloff -
PhysicsConfined gas rejects compromise
Pairs of tiny gas clouds of unequal energies mixing inside narrow tubes retain their original energy differences.
By Peter Weiss -
AnimalsJust turn your back, Mom
A female in a species of legless amphibians called caecilians nourishes her youngsters by letting them eat the skin off her back.
By Susan Milius -
Health & MedicineLiver regeneration tied to bile acids
Bile, a digestive juice, plays an integral role in the regeneration of liver tissue.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineTwo drugs are equal in preventing breast cancer
A commonly prescribed anti-osteoporosis drug works as well at preventing breast cancer as the sole drug currently prescribed for the task.
By Nathan Seppa -
HumansStudy finds bias in peer review
Researchers have found evidence of bias when scientists review data and the researcher's name and affiliation are available to the reviewers.
By Janet Raloff -
AnimalsBird hormone cuts noise distractions
A jolt of springtime hormones makes a female sparrow's brain more responsive to song.
By Susan Milius -
Health & MedicineSmall Wonder: Taking the bite out of anthrax toxin
Using a submicroscopic synthetic blob called a liposome, scientists have neutralized anthrax toxin in rats.
By Nathan Seppa -
AnimalsGrammar’s for the Birds: Human-only language rule? Tell starlings
A grammatical pattern called recursion, once proposed as unique to human language, turns out to fall within the learning abilities of starlings.
By Susan Milius -
AstronomyEnergy-Saving Space Engines: Black holes can be green
Some seemingly quiet black holes are actually efficient engines that emit jets of high-energy particles.
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EarthBrain Delay: Air pollutants linked to slow childhood mental development
Pollutants spewing from vehicles and power plants may be harmful to fetal brains.
By Ben Harder