Uncategorized
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Uncertainty fires up some neurons
In monkeys, a small set of brain cells that transmit the chemical messenger dopamine to various neural destinations works as an uncertainty meter.
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After West Nile Virus
As biologists try to estimate the impact of West Nile virus on wildlife, it's not the famously susceptible crows that are causing alarm but much rarer species.
- Computing
Pictures Only a Computer Could Love
New, unconventional lenses shape scenes into pictures for computers, not people, so that computer-equipped microscopes, cameras, and other optical devices can see more with less.
- Math
Crediting Basketball’s Three-Pointers
The adoption of the three-point field goal in basketball changed the game. Initially, its impact was limited, but in recent years, shooting three-point baskets has had a significant effect on game strategy and outcome. Many sports fans can’t resist the lure of quantifying performance–ranking teams, rating players, and keeping various statistics. Now, statistician Thomas P. […]
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19232
The understanding that traditional wisdom calls for detoxifying these legumes coupled with the fact that they are eaten nonetheless is indeed sad. The work of the agricultural scientists in making this staple safe to eat is vital. There is evident need for help from social science to get safe food practices accepted in the population. […]
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19308
This article contains a common misconception about the greenhouse effect. It states, “The newly detected gas is chemically similar to sulfur hexafluoride–another strong absorber of solar radiation . . .” (emphasis mine). While this statement may be true, it is irrelevant to the greenhouse efficiency of a gas. The mechanism of the greenhouse effect involves […]
- Math
Prime Finding: Mathematicians mind the gap
Mathematicians have taken a significant step toward proving the twin-prime conjecture by simplifying formulas for estimating the average spacing of primes.
- Humans
From the March 25, 1933, issue
BLOND SIBERIANS WITH PAINTED MASKS UNEARTHED Graves of mysterious blond and chestnut-haired people, who had a strange custom of making painted plaster masks for the dead, have been found by Russian scientists in Siberia, in the Minusinsk region. Word of the discovery was brought to the University of Pennsylvania Museum by Eugene Golomshtok. Burial pits […]
- Humans
Home Base for Government Science
The Science.gov Web site serves as a gateway for science information, including research results, provided by the U.S. government. Topics include agriculture and food, astronomy and space, computers and communication, energy and energy conservation, health and medicine, science education, and more. Go to: http://www.science.gov/
- Math
Chomping to Win
Even the simplest of games can pose tough mathematical challenges. One such game is Chomp. It was invented in the early 1970s by David Gale of the University of California, Berkeley, who was also responsible for the board game Bridg-it, and it was later dubbed Chomp by Martin Gardner. Chomp on a 5-by-6 field. The […]
- Astronomy
Honors for Science News astronomy writer
Science News astronomy writer Ron Cowen is a recipient of the third David N. Schramm award for distinguished writing on high-energy astrophysics.
- Animals
Techno Crow: Do birds build up better tool designs?
Researchers surveying tool use by New Caledonian crows propose that the birds may be the first animals besides people shown to ratchet up the sophistication of their technology by sharing design improvements.
