Uncategorized
- Earth
Microbe polishes off pollutant
Researchers have determined how long a pesticide residue would remain in the environment if the microbe Pseudomonas pavonaceae didn't metabolize it.
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19621
This article raises the question of how oxygen levels have changed over the past 2 centuries, when carbon dioxide has been increasing. John MillsDecatur, Ala. There is a problem in this interesting article. The graph of oxygen content versus time doesn’t agree with the text. Specific example: “About 255 million years ago … the oxygen […]
- Earth
Changes in the Air
Changes in the atmospheric concentration of oxygen through geologic time, some gradual and some drastic, have strongly shaped evolution among many types of creatures.
- Math
Surface Story
Mathematicians have zeroed in on a new type of minimal surface based on a double helix.
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- Humans
From the December 7, 1935, issue
Indian art at Boulder Dam, ice under pressure, and vitamin A's role in vision.
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Bug Guide
BugGuide.Net is an online community of naturalists who enjoy learning about and sharing their observations of insects, spiders, and other related creatures. The site features amazing photos and useful information, such as size, range, habitat, and life cycle, about a host of different species. Go to: http://www.bugguide.net/
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Best Friend’s Genome: Dog’s DNA sheds light on human genetics, too
Scientists have published the genome of a boxer, a detailed comparison of the dog's genome with the genomes of mice and people, and a study of genetic variation among dog breeds.
- Ecosystems
When Worms Fly: Insect larvae can survive bird guts
Insects can travel as larval stowaways in the guts of migrating birds.
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19620
While it is extraordinary that an unprotected insect larva survives gut passage, it is not the first demonstration that insects may be carried inside of birds. The larvae of phytophagous wasps living inside the seeds of the multiflora rose pass unharmed through the guts of mockingbirds. C.A. NalepaRaleigh, N.C.
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Mirror Cells’ Fading Spark: Empathy-related neurons may turn off in autism
Brain cells implicated in the ability to imitate and empathize with others largely fail to function in children with autism, a new brain-imaging investigation suggests.
- Planetary Science
Red Planet Express: Mars spacecraft traces a watery tale
A Mars-orbiting spacecraft has provided new details about when and where liquid water existed on the planet.
