Uncategorized
- Humans
Travels with the War Goddess
A botany expedition to Samoa turns out to be as much about the people as about the plants.
- Health & Medicine
Cutting blood supply to kill off fat
Killing the blood vessels that sustain fat tissue causes obese mice to lose weight.
- Chemistry
Strange brew brings inorganic chemicals to life
A mixture of inorganic chemicals spontaneously forms cell-like structures that behave like tiny chemical reactors.
- Health & Medicine
Estrogen loss induces lung disease in mice
Estrogen loss hampers lung function in mice by sabotaging the alveoli, the tiny sacs that deliver oxygen-rich air to the bloodstream.
- Astronomy
Live! Venus’ transit on the Web
On June 8, astronomers in Europe plan to Webcast observations of the transit of Venus, the first time the planet has passed across the face of the sun as seen from Earth in 122 years.
- Health & Medicine
Folate enrichment pays baby dividends
The federally mandated fortification of grain-based foods with folic acid has led to a 25 percent drop in the rate of potentially life-threatening neural tube birth defects.
-
Worm life span set by chromosome tips
For worms, longer chromosome tips mean longer lives.
- Earth
Global Vineyard
Recognizing that continued climate change may leave some renowned grape-growing regions too hot or too dry to support vineyards, growers may turn to new technology and techniques to produce consistently better fruit.
- Anthropology
Out on a Limb
The science of body development may make kindling out of evolutionary trees.
- Math
A Measure of Beauty
In the 1930s, mathematician G.D. Birkhoff proposed a formula for computing aesthetic value.
- Humans
From the May 19, 1934, issue
Preparing for a stratospheric ascent, the great dust storm of 1934, and the invention of the electron microscope.
- Chemistry
Home Experiments
Collapsing a soft drink can, fireproofing a balloon, creating cool light, and bending water are among the activities offered by Bassam Z. Shakhashiri, a chemistry professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His Web pages provide instructions for performing these and other experiments at home. Go to: http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/homeexpts/HOMEEXPTS.HTML.
