Uncategorized
- Math
Armor-Plated Puzzle
Behind the beautiful patterns of many viral shells lie principles of pure physics and mathematics that scientists have illuminated in recent theoretical studies.
- Math
Primes, Palindromes, and Pyramids
Prime numbers that have the same sequence of digits whether read forward or backward can be built into pyramids.
- Humans
From the August 24, 1935, issue
Learning from spiders, a tiny electric motor, and two new cancer-causing chemicals.
- Earth
Sea Monitors
Developed by researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute, SeaMaven is a new Web portal that gives students access to data collected from naval platforms 60 miles off the coast of Georgia. Eight platforms, currently operated by the U.S. Navy for flight training, have been equipped with sophisticated sensors to monitor various ocean and meteorological […]
- Animals
What’s That Knocking? Sound evidence offered for long-lost woodpecker
Cornell's Laboratory of Ornithology has released recordings from the woods of eastern Arkansas that researchers say could be the distinctive drumming and calls of the ivory-billed woodpecker.
- Chemistry
Presto, Change-o: New solutions could clean up chemistry
Scientists have developed a simple technique to switch an oil-like solvent into a waterlike one.
- Earth
Seafloor features steered tsunamis
Tsunamis circled the globe after a magnitude 9.3 earthquake struck the Indian Ocean last Dec. 26, but the waves didn't spread evenly.
- Health & Medicine
Dark Side of a Blood Builder: Hormone linked to diabetic blindness
Erythropoietin, a hormone that orchestrates growth processes, may contribute to eye damage in people with diabetic retinopathy.
- Anthropology
A Seasoned Ancient State: Chinese site adds salt to civilization’s rise
Analyses of remains from an ancient Chinese site situated along a river indicate that salt making occurred there as long as 4,000 years ago.
- Astronomy
First Supper: X rays may mark eating habits of baby black holes
Astronomers have evidence that just minutes after their tumultuous birth, baby black holes emit powerful burps of X rays that may be fueled by material left over from their first meal.
- Physics
Warm Ice: Frozen water forms at room temperature
Ultrathin films of ice observed at room temperature and ordinary atmospheric pressure should be more widespread than previously thought, according to new experiments indicating that weaker-than-expected electric fields induce such freezing.
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Letters from the August 27, 2005, issue of Science News
Sleeper issues I have experienced sleep paralysis in almost all of its forms, from terrors to vibrations and auditory hallucinations to out-of-body experiences (“Night of the Crusher,” SN: 7/9/05, p. 27). Most often it is completely terrifying, but I did have one episode that was elating. Sweet dreams. Kathleen MilroyOntario, Canada The manifestations reported by […]
