Uncategorized
- Math
Improving the Odds in RISK
RISK is a classic board game of global conquest. First published in 1959, this war game remains a popular pastime–and continues to attract mathematical attention. Recent analyses reveal that the chances of winning a battle are considerably more favorable for the attacker than was originally suspected. “The logical recommendation is . . . for the […]
- Earth
Digging for Fire: Burning peat underlies Mali’s hot ground
Superheated ground and smoking potholes in northern Mali are evidence not of volcanic activity but of a layer of peat that is burning 2 feet below the desert surface.
- Health & Medicine
DNA Differences Add Risk: Altered genes show up in Lou Gehrig’s disease
People with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are more likely than healthy people to have certain variations in the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene, suggesting variant VEGF contributes to the disease.
- Tech
Soft blow hardens Columbia-disaster theory
By blasting a gaping hole in a shuttle wing with a block of foam fired from a gun, a NASA investigative team appears to have confirmed the leading theory of what caused the Feb. 1 destruction of the space shuttle Columbia.
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19331
Since “most pleural abnormalities don’t actually interfere with lung function,” the statement that dangerous asbestos exposures extended beyond the workplace in Libby, Mont., must be considered an opinion or assumption, not something confirmed by scientific studies. The heading for the article could just as well have ended “may only be a minor problem.” Bud MarchettePebble […]
- Earth
More Than a Miner Problem: Asbestos exposure is prevalent in mining community
A new study of the residents of Libby, Mont., confirms that even people who don't work with asbestos can have lung abnormalities caused by the mineral.
- Earth
Double Trees: City trees grow bigger than country cousins
Clones of an Eastern cottonwood grow twice as well in the New York metropolitan sprawl as in rural New York State.
- Paleontology
Secrets of Dung: Ancient poop yields nuclear DNA
Researchers have extracted remnants of DNA from cells preserved in the desiccated dung of an extinct ground sloth.
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19262
Although I was thrilled, as usual, to hear of yet another discovery that might lead us to our brethren in the universe, I was dismayed to learn that our scientists have been in such disagreement about the requirements for planetary existence. It made me worry about how many other “requirements” they may have all wrong. […]
- Astronomy
Record Breaker: A planet from the early universe
Astronomers have found the oldest and most distant planet known in the universe.
- Animals
Killer sex, literally
Videotapes of yellow garden spiders show that if a female doesn't murder her mate, he'll expire during sex anyway.
- Tech
Giving solar cells the rough treatment
A new solar cell design that traps photons in the crevices of a bumpy surface uses low-cost materials and may make these cells more commercially appealing.
