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19148
Newton derived theories about gravity by studying stationary or very slowly moving objects. Laboratory measures of G performed since share this fundamental approach. While this may accurately measure G, any possible relative velocity dependence to this constant or to the force of gravity goes undetected. Determining that force involves only the masses, the separation, and […]
By Science News -
Physics
Gravity gets measured to greater certainty
Important but imprecisely measured, the gravitational constant, G, is given its most exact experimental value yet, while a pioneering investigation into gravity finds that extra dimensions, if they do exist, occupy spaces of less than a couple tenths of a millimeter.
By Peter Weiss -
Animals
Female owls: First to advertise good genes
Swiss researchers find the first case of a female flashing ornaments that advertise her gene quality to choosy males.
By Susan Milius -
Health & Medicine
New gene-therapy techniques show potential
Two technologies for transferring genes, one that uses mobile DNA called transposons and another that uses a weak virus, have proved successful in overcoming genetic disorders in mice.
By Nathan Seppa -
Humans
From the October 29, 1932, issue
THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT RIVALS AT MOUSE-CATCHING One of the favorite riddles of childhood was, “Spell ‘mousetrap’ in three letters”; and the answer was “C-A-T.” With even more appropriateness, the answer might have been “O-W-L,” for the Owl is an even better mousetrap than the Pussycat, besides being somewhat more restrained in the matter […]
By Science News -
Earth
Timely Climate
Science educators at the University of Colorado and the National Geophysical Data Center in Boulder have designed an online tool that lets users study climate change and variability on different time scales–from daily fluctuations to cyclic changes with periods that span 100,000 years. Focusing on climatic processes and specific climate events, each time-scale category has […]
By Science News -
Agriculture
Downtown Fisheries?
Advances may make fish farming a healthy prospect, even for inner cities.
By Janet Raloff -
19188
Your article perpetuates a common error regarding pond aquaculture when it states, “These systems all rely on large volumes of clean water flowing to the fish and carrying waste away.” In the catfish industry (the largest pond-culture venture in the United States), ponds are only emptied for renovation once every 10 to 20 years, and […]
By Science News -
Astronomy
Astronomers find evidence of missing matter
Astronomers say they've likely confirmed that half of the hydrogen gas in the universe, which had not been accounted for, resides in relatively nearby reaches of intergalactic space.
By Ron Cowen -
19187
After reading this article, I may have an answer for why a routine chest X ray indicated prominent scar tissue on my lungs even though I have never been a smoker during my 61 years. For the past 15 years, since a heart attack, I have jogged or ridden a bicycle for approximately an hour […]
By Science News -
Earth
U.S. smog limit permits subtle lung damage
Ambient concentrations of smog ozone in many regions can cause lungs to leak, potentially compromising the health of even robust people.
By Janet Raloff -
Paleontology
Fossils Hint at Who Left Africa First
Fossil skulls found in central Asia date to 1.7 million years ago and may represent the first ancestral human species to have left Africa.
By Bruce Bower