Uncategorized
- Paleontology
Alaska in the ice age: Was it bluegrass country?
At the height of the last ice age, northern portions of Alaska and the Yukon Territory were covered with an arid yet productive grassland that supported an abundance of large grazing mammals, fossils suggest.
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- Humans
From the June 24, 1933, issue
LIGHTNING Lightning, most awesome of the spectacular forces of nature, has yielded some of its mystery to science. But not all. We no longer credit it, as did our ancestors, to an angry Zeus or an impetuous Thor. Since Ben Franklin flew his adventurous kites, nearly two centuries ago, we know it is “made of […]
- Earth
Meteorite Crater
The Barringer Crater in Arizona is one of the more famous geological sites on Earth. This Web site recounts the history and science of the crater’s formation 50,000 years ago and provides information about its discovery, its purchase by D.M. Barringer, and its current status. Go to: http://www.barringercrater.com/
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Attack of the cannibalistic bacteria
When nutrients are low, some members of a bacterial species will cannibalize other members.
- Math
Prime-Time Cicadas
Cicadas are flying, plant-eating insects. Most cicada species have life cycles that span 2 to 8 years. They spend most of their lives underground before emerging as adults. In a few species, almost all the individuals in a given location come out of hiding at the same time. These are known as periodical cicadas, and […]
- Earth
Spawning Trouble: Synthetic estrogen hampers trout fertility
Exposure to a synthetic estrogen called ethynylestradiol, which is commonly found in birth control pills and enters the waterways through sewage effluent, reduces male trout’s fertility by half.
- Health & Medicine
Double Duty: Diabetes drug protects reopened heart vessels
A drug normally prescribed to hold blood sugar in check provides an unexpected benefit to heart patients.
- Anthropology
New Guinea Went Bananas: Agriculture’s roots get a South Pacific twist
Inhabitants of New Guinea began to cultivate bananas in large quantities nearly 7,000 years ago, an agricultural practice that spread to Southeast Asia and throughout the Pacific region.
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19327
This article exaggerates the capability of transmission electron microscopy by stating that “individual lithium ions” are seen. The research paper described says that the features imaged correspond to columns of lithium, cobalt, and oxygen atoms in a sample estimated to be 17 unit cells thick. Eliot D. SpechtOak Ridge National LaboratoryOak Ridge, Tenn. True, but […]
- Materials Science
Lithium Sees the Light: Images of tiny ion may help battery designers
An electron microscope has captured images of tiny lithium ions for the first time.
- Animals
Snake Pits: Viper heat sensors locate cool spots
Scientists who glued aluminum foil and plastic balls to live rattlesnakes say that snakes use their heat-sensing organs for more than hunting prey.
