Uncategorized
-
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
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.
- Astronomy
Record Breaker: A planet from the early universe
Astronomers have found the oldest and most distant planet known in the universe.
-
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. […]
- 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.
- Earth
Antimosquito coils release toxic fumes
Researchers have measured several pollutants in smoke emitted from so-called mosquito coils, which people burn at night to fend off insects.
-
Adults’ brains show temperamental side
Using brain-imaging techniques, psychologists have identified possible neural locations underlying shyness or gregariousness.
- Plants
Crop genes diffuse in seedy ways
A study of sugar beets in France suggests that genes may escape to wild relatives through seeds accidentally transported by humans rather than through drifting pollen.
-
Let there be light
Ultraviolet light may have favored, not hindered, the creation of RNA on early Earth.
-
U.S. survey probes depression care
More than half of all people with major depression now seek treatment for the disorder, but only 1 in 5 depressed people receives what psychiatrists consider to be adequate medication and psychotherapy.
