Uncategorized
- Earth
Pumped-up Poison Ivy: Carbon dioxide boosts plant’s size, toxicity
Rising carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could make poison ivy grow much faster and become more toxic.
- Humans
Letters from the June 3, 2006, issue of Science News
Latitude adjustments “Shafts of snow sculpted by sun” (SN: 4/1/06, p. 206) doesn’t say that penitentes appear only in the Andes, nor does it say in what part of the Andes they appear. Does the formation of penitentes require that the sun be nearly directly overhead for part of the day? Can penitentes form only […]
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Evolving genes may not size up brain
Two gene variants previously implicated in the evolution of human brain size apparently don't influence brain volumes in people today.
- Health & Medicine
At iconic Asian temple, monkeys harbor viruses
Temple sites in South and Southeast Asia that offer refuge to monkeys also shelter monkey viruses.
- Health & Medicine
Common drugs offer some hot flash relief
Antidepressants and some other prescription drugs reduce the number of hot flashes that many women experience during menopause.
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When I looked at the photo in this article, I didn’t see a “pentagonal shape” in the swirling water. I saw a sine wave, wrapped around a circle. I was immediately reminded of the Bohr–de Broglie model of electron orbits forming standing waves. Rather than swirling water and glycol forming “unexplained” polygons, isn’t this simply […]
- Physics
As waters part, polygons appear
When rapidly swirled inside a stationary bucket, liquids can form whirlpools of surprising shapes, such as triangles and hexagons.
- Archaeology
Jarring clues to Tut’s white wine
Chemical analyses of residue from jars found in King Tutankhamen's tomb have yielded the first evidence of white wine in ancient Egypt.
- Health & Medicine
Blood, Iron, and Gray Hair
Recent findings show that anemia is exceedingly common in elderly people and link the condition to severe health problems, including accelerated physical and mental decline and a shorter life span.
- Tech
Quantum-Dot Leap
Multiple electrons from photons in quantum dots could be a boon to solar cells and other technologies.
- Math
A Straw and Two Glasses
Using a straw to transfer water between two glasses raises intriguing mathematical questions. For more math, visit the MathTrek blog.
- Humans
Letters from the May 27, 2006, issue of Science News
Dig it or don’t I am rather surprised at all the attention this find is getting (“Out of the Shadows: Not all early mammals were shy and retiring,” SN: 3/18/06, p. 173). Some would think that these mammals caused the downfall of the dinosaurs, but the fossil record suggests a very different scenario. There is […]
