Uncategorized
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Earth
Why So Dry? Ocean temperatures alone don’t explain droughts
Evidence from ancient dunes points to three periods of prolonged drought in the U.S. Great Plains, but finding their causes may be more complex than previously supposed.
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19791
The author of this article seems to feel, like most other writers do, that “the western United States” properly covers all geographical bases. Believe me, the Pacific Northwest is anything but dry. One other point about geography: Weather phenomena, and other stuff, occurring in the Dakotas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, or Kansas are not happening in […]
By Science News -
Health & Medicine
Fatal Flaw? Antibleeding drug faces new safety questions
The drug commonly used to slow bleeding during heart surgery increases a patient's risk of dying during the next 5 years.
By Nathan Seppa -
Earth
From Bad to Worse: Earth’s warming to accelerate
Global warming is real and will continue, and there's strong evidence that people are to blame, an international panel of scientists has concluded.
By Sid Perkins -
19790
I am disappointed in this article on the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) summary. It was a political summary, not the 1,500 page report that’s due in May 2007. How often have you seen a scientific summary published 3 months before the final report? I am concerned that you do not appear to […]
By Science News -
Humans
Letters from the February 10, 2007, issue of Science News
Grape gripe “A Toast to Healthy Hearts: Wine compounds benefit blood vessels” (SN: 12/2/06, p. 356) leaves us up in the air with this statement: “. . . since the traditional wine-making techniques still in use in southwestern France and Sardinia increase concentrations of polymeric procyanidins, he says, other vintners may soon adopt such methods.” […]
By Science News -
Animals
Do flies eat their sibs before birth?
A tiny fly that parasitizes cicadas could be the first insect species that's recognized to practice prenatal cannibalism.
By Susan Milius -
Food smells reduce diet’s life-extending benefits
The scent of food may decrease the life-extending effects of a low-calorie diet.
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Animals
Glittering male seeks fluorescing female
A tropical jumping spider needs ultraviolet light for courtship.
By Susan Milius -
Ecosystems
An unexpected, thriving ecosystem
A diverse group of creatures beneath an Antarctic ice shelf could give pause to researchers who infer past ecological conditions from fossils found in such sediments.
By Sid Perkins -
Health & Medicine
Many babies born short of vitamin D
Even in the womb, babies face a high risk of vitamin D deficiency.
By Janet Raloff -
Earth
Corn, a new sensor of carbon dioxide
Scientists have developed a way to use corn plants to monitor and map human-generated emissions of carbon dioxide.
By Sid Perkins