Uncategorized
- Climate
Warming has already boosted insect breeding
Museum records, publications suggest extra generations at same time as temperature increases
- Earth
Tides in Earth’s crust trigger small, deep quakes
Study of one portion of the San Andreas fault finds that just a little added stress from crustal tides makes a quake more likely.
- Space
Stay tuned: New star coming in 1 million years
Radio observations of a dark, dusty cloud in a nearby star-forming region have revealed one of the earliest phases of star formation and may reveal new insights on starbirth.
- Life
Sexual conflict takes shape in ducks
Up-close view of male ducks reveals extreme speed and extreme conflict.
- Health & Medicine
Texting and driving don’t mix, just as suspected
Sending or receiving messages proves even worse than cell phone calls for young adults on simulators.
- Life
Lupus not identical in twins
Differences in DNA methylation may account for why one sibling gets the autoimmune disease while the other stays healthy.
- Life
Groovy teeth suggest dinosaur was venomous
Fossils show depression in upper jaw that held venom-producing glands.
- Space
Herschel Space Observatory sees stars being born
A recently launched infrared observatory has discovered about 700 newly forming stars.
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2009 Science News of the Year
Brevity is in. If what you have to say can’t be delivered in 140 characters or less, you should reconsider your message — or so it seems in a world agog with texting and Twitter. Compiling Science News’ annual list of scientific highlights brought home the good and bad of this trend. Indeed, some of […]
- Math
2009 Science News of the Year: Numbers
Detroit Tigers second baseman Placido Polanco, a 2009 Gold Glove winner, applies the tag as Chicago White Sox’s Gordon Beckham slides into second. Image credit: Duane Burleson – file The stats on fielding Astute baseball fans know who has the golden glove, but assigning a number to a player’s defensive merits has been tricky. Benjamin […]
- Life
2009 Science News of the Year: Genes & Cells
Cancer-fighting roles Scientists have discovered a new role in cancer protection for an already well-known tumor suppressor protein. The protein, called p53, protects cells from becoming cancerous by sensing stress and either shutting down cell division or triggering cell death. Researchers at the University of Tokyo and colleagues have discovered that p53 also plays a […]
- Chemistry
2009 Science News of the Year: Molecules
Tangles of collagen IV chains link at globules via sulfur-nitrogen bonding (illustrated above). Credit: Courtesy of Science/AAAS New bond in the basementBasements house hidden treasures — including a chemical bond never before seen in living things. Scientists have discovered that collagen fibers in the basement membrane — a tough, structural layer of cells that surrounds […]
