Uncategorized
- Anthropology
Rock-solid choices of first toolmakers
Human ancestors who took up stone toolmaking in Africa around 2.6 million years ago already showed a proclivity for choosing high-quality pieces of rock, a new study finds.
- Chemistry
Flame-retardant cotton gets a boost from clay
Mixing cotton fibers with nanoparticles of clay increases the materials' heat tolerance, ultimately rendering new cotton fabrics flame retardant.
- Health & Medicine
A drug to stop diabetes’ onset?
Individuals susceptible to developing type 1 diabetes may find hope in a vaccinelike drug that is showing promise in mouse studies.
- Tech
Bacteria churn out new type of electronic paper
Researchers have developed a new way of making flexible electronic paper displays using cellulose derived from bacteria.
- Materials Science
Nanotubes take on the Grand Canyon
A new technique can turn forests of carbon nanotubes into a foamlike material with ideal properties for making lightweight shock absorbers.
- Tech
Reinventing the Yo-Yo
No longer simple toys, today's pricey yo-yos sport high-tech features—such as ball bearing transaxles and precision string-snagging mechanisms—that permit dazzling new styles and complex tricks.
- Astronomy
Shades of Venus
On June 8, for the first time in 122 years, the silhouette of Venus will move across the face of the sun.
- Math
From Number Puzzles to Automata
A high school student plays with numbers and does an award-winning project elucidating the link between automata and divisibility.
- Humans
Letters from the April 10, 2004, issue of Science News
Inaction verbs? Regarding “The Brain’s Word Act: Reading verbs revs up motor cortex areas” (SN: 2/7/04, p. 83: The Brain’s Word Act: Reading verbs revs up motor cortex areas), did the researchers image the brains of disabled people who know the meaning of a verb but can’t perform the action, or of people without any […]
- Humans
From the April 7, 1934, issue
Pouring the 200-inch glass disk for a new telescope, a new man-ape link, and planetary weather cycles.
- Health & Medicine
Double-Edged Drugs: Anti-inflammatories’ cancer effects vary by brand and tissue type
New research on anti-inflammatory medications being investigated as cancer treatments indicates that some of these drugs have secondary effects that could enhance or undermine their antitumor activity.
- Animals
Flex That Bill: Hummingbirds’ surprising insect-catching style
High-speed videos of hummingbirds catching insects reveal that their lower bills are unexpectedly flexible.
