Uncategorized
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Planetary ScienceSome deadly monikers
Two recently found small moons orbiting Pluto have now been officially dubbed Nix and Hydra.
By Ron Cowen -
MathChaotic Chomp
A new, physics-based approach to analyzing simple games, such as Chomp and Nim, reveals changing geometric patterns reminiscent of crystal growth.
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Bringing Up Baby’s DNA
Researchers are developing ways to harvest babies' genes in less invasive ways.
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MathFlirting with the Impossible
A new book champions the importance of imagination and fantasy in mathematics.
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Health & MedicineStatins might lower risk of cataracts
Cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins might slow the formation of certain types of cataracts in the eye.
By Nathan Seppa -
HumansFrom the July 11, 1936, issue
A new comet, stars as factories, and electricity in blood.
By Science News -
AstronomyA Meteoroid Hits the Moon
This NASA Web page describes observations of a recent meteoroid impact on the moon, which created a new crater. It includes audio and a remarkable video of the impact. Go to: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/13jun_lunarsporadic.htm?list43643
By Science News -
19710
I live in Northern California, where forest-biomass power plants are common. One power plant takes the ashes that result and places them where cows forage. I’m wondering to what level of concentration this process will accumulate the cesium in organic dairy products. Jesse NoellEureka, Calif. The amount of radioactive cesium-137 taken up by trees is […]
By Science News -
EarthRadiation Redux: Forest fires remobilize fallout from bomb tests
A sensor installed to monitor fallout from modern nuclear tests has detected small amounts of radioactive cesium produced by bomb tests decades ago and sent skyward by forest fires.
By Sid Perkins -
19709
I was surprised to see in Science News, conclusions about causation made on the basis of correlational research. The variance in activity levels may have been a consequence of differing levels of energy among the participants at the outset of the study, perhaps due to differences in general health. We should be careful about this […]
By Science News -
Health & MedicineKeep on Going: Busy seniors live longer, more proof that it pays to stay active
Healthy elderly people who burn a lot of calories each day may be gaining extra years of life.
By Nathan Seppa -
AnthropologyLittle Ancestor, Big Debate: Tiny islanders’ identity sparks dispute
New measurements bolster the 2-year-old claim that fossils of a half-size human ancestor found on an Indonesian island represent a new species.
By Bruce Bower