Notebook
- Physics
Tea time
Leave it to the English to solve the mystery of a tea kettle’s whistle.
By Andrew Grant -
- Genetics
Top genomes of 2013
Scientists continue to decode the genetic blueprints of the planet’s myriad flora and fauna.
By Beth Mole -
- Environment
World’s worst polluted
A new report by Green Cross Switzerland and the Blacksmith Institute lists places posing the greatest risk to human health.
- Animals
A corsage that bites
The orchid mantis uses a flowery subterfuge to lure prey.
By Susan Milius - Earth
Cryovolcano
An ice volcano that erupts slurries of volatile compounds such as water or methane instead of lava.
By Erin Wayman - Computing
Fastest supercomputers
The new list of the world’s fastest computers, now in its 20th year, has China’s Tianhe-2 on top with a processing speed of 33.9 petaflops — or quadrillions of calculations per second.
- Health & Medicine
Cancer vaccine in near future foreseen
Excerpt from the December 21, 1963 issue of SCIENCE NEWS LETTER.
- Physics
Ripple effect
If you want ripples in your icicles, just add salt. This recipe comes from physicists reporting in the October New Journal of Physics.
- Health & Medicine
Drug use on the rise in older set
The use of illicit drugs has declined slightly over the last decade among teens but is growing more common in people over age 50.
- Life
Fungal fight club
Combat between fungal individuals is a bit like war between heaps of spaghetti.
By Susan Milius