Uncategorized
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Animals
Anemone Wars: Clone armies deploy scouts, attack tidally
The first description of clashing armies of sea anemones has revealed unsuspected military tactics.
By Susan Milius -
Earth
Gender Measure: Pollutant appears to alter boys’ genitals
Infant boys who were exposed in the womb to modest concentrations of certain common plasticizers and solvents developed genital changes.
By Janet Raloff -
Menstrual cycle changes the brain
Hormonal fluctuations over the course of a woman's menstrual cycle change the abundance of a type of receptor on nerve cells, which can change the cells' behavior.
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Chemistry
Chemical analysis deciphers biblical palette
The first characterization of the paints used to decorate the margins of Gutenberg Bibles could help guide preservation and future restoration efforts.
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Planetary Science
Mars Polar Lander: Lost but now found?
A reanalysis of an image taken 5 years ago suggests that planetary scientists have found the remains of the Mars Polar Lander, which vanished minutes before it was supposed to touch down on the Red Planet.
By Ron Cowen -
Anthropology
Carnivore conflicts gnaw at Neandertals
Discoveries in a French cave indicate that by about 41,000 years ago, Neandertals and hyenas competed for prey and for access to protected sites where they could safely consume their food.
By Bruce Bower -
Health & Medicine
Inflammation inhibitor may limit heart attacks
A new drug suppresses an inflammation-causing protein that has been linked to heart attacks.
By Nathan Seppa -
Plants
Built-in bird perch spreads the pollen
Tests confirm the idea that a plant benefits from growing a bird perch to let pollinators get the best angle for reaching the flowers.
By Susan Milius -
Planetary Science
Craft show
The Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft recently imaged Mars Odyssey and Mars Express, marking the first time that a spacecraft orbiting a planet other than Earth has captured images of other craft circling the same planet.
By Ron Cowen -
Tech
Morphing Memory
A promising memory technology for future portable gadgets exploits the same atom-shuffling materials that have already led to rewritable CDs and DVDs.
By Peter Weiss -
19557
This article reads as if there is something to be alarmed about. By selectively catching large fish, we have reduced “the mean size [of food fish to] one-fifth of what it was.” This is not cause for alarm. It is cause for a decision: What do we want, small fish or large fish? Humans are […]
By Science News -
Ecosystems
Empty Nets
New research has begun challenging long-held assumptions about the consequences for fish stocks of harvesting the biggest fish first.
By Janet Raloff