Uncategorized
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Humans
From the March 31, 1934, issue
A desert earthquake, producing bromine from seawater, and nerve damage from alcohol consumption.
By Science News -
Understanding Evolution
Understanding Evolution is an extensive Web site designed to meet the needs of K–12 teachers presenting evolution in the classroom. Developed by the University of California Museum of Paleontology at Berkeley and the National Center for Science Education, the site provides an informal online course covering essential science content, as well as a searchable database […]
By Science News -
19402
When I was a teenager, I lived with a brown capuchin monkey. Among other games, we enjoyed trading: his poker chips for my food. When he was out of poker chips, he would improvise by finding pebbles, paper, toys, and other household detritus to trade. When all was traded into my pile, he would give […]
By Science News -
Anthropology
Monkey Business
They're pugnacious and clever, and they have complex social lives—but do capuchin monkeys actually exhibit cultural behaviors?
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Plants
A Frond Fared Well: Genes hint that ferns proliferated in shade of flowering plants
Analyses of genetic material from a multitude of fern species suggest that much of that plant group branched out millions of years after flowering plants first appeared, a notion that contradicts many scientists' views of plant evolution.
By Sid Perkins -
Tech
Soaring at Hyperspeed: Long-sought technology finally propels a plane
For the first time, an airplane flew at hypersonic speed under power of a scramjet, an engine that operates at high velocities using oxygen from the atmosphere.
By Peter Weiss -
Astronomy
Foraging among the Galaxies: Andromeda’s dining habits are documented
A new survey is adding to the evidence that Andromeda, the Milky Way’s sister galaxy, has not only grown bigger in the past by feasting on smaller galaxies but is continuing to do so.
By Ron Cowen -
Health & Medicine
Better-Off Circumcised? Foreskin may permit HIV entry, infection
Circumcision seems to offer partial protection against HIV infection, but not other sexually transmitted diseases.
By Nathan Seppa -
Animals
Long Horns Win: Selection in action—Attacks favor spike length for lizards
A hunting bird's quirk—a tendency to impale prey on thorns—leaves a record that has allowed scientists to catch a glimpse of an evolutionary force in action.
By Susan Milius -
19401
It should have come as no surprise that the rat’s DNA had “changed much more than the human genome had since the two species diverged from a common ancestor” considering how many more breeding cycles the rat has experienced since that time. Joe HaltonAnacortes, Wash. The shorter generation time of rodents can’t by itself explain […]
By Science News -
Devil’s Lapdog Gets Its Due: The lab rat bares its DNA to biologists
Scientists announced that they have deciphered the full DNA sequence of the standard lab rat, setting the stage for a new flurry of biomedical research on this rodent and providing insight into mammalian evolution.
By John Travis -
Materials Science
Tiny Trouble: Nanoscale materials damage fish brains
Although nanomaterials could one day lead to more powerful electronics and better medicines, new research shows these tiny materials can also be toxic to fish.