Uncategorized
- Health & Medicine
Cluster Bombs: Metabolic syndrome tied to heart disease deaths
Men with a certain cluster of metabolic characteristics are about three times as likely to die of heart disease as men without the traits are.
By Ben Harder - Animals
Frogs Play Tree: Male tunes his call to specific tree hole
Borneo's tree-hole frog may come as close to playing a musical instrument as any wild animal does. [With audio file.]
By Susan Milius -
19212
It’s no surprise to find that the Borneo tree frog tunes into his tree hole. From the resonance of electron shells to the orbits of planets, stars, and galaxies, harmonic relationships define all of creation. Many frogs have external tympanic membranes that resonate to their tiny chirpings. This mechanism helps put entire ponds full of […]
By Science News -
19211
This article recommended shock absorbers and cushioned seats. Did this study survey what type of bikes the volunteers rode? Doug LandonSimi Valley, Calif. Study coauthor Ferdinand Frauscher notes that although most of the long-time bikers now use bikes with shock absorbers and padded seats, they almost all originally rode bikes with little or no padding […]
By Science News - Health & Medicine
Jarring Result: Extreme biking can hurt men’s fertility
Men who maintain grueling mountain-bicycling programs are apt to have lower sperm counts than nonbikers are.
By Nathan Seppa - Anthropology
Script Delivery: New World writing takes disputed turn
Researchers announced, to considerable controversy, that inscriptions found on artifacts at an Olmec site in southeastern Mexico represented the earliest known writing system in the Americas.
By Bruce Bower -
Debate over Alzheimer’s enzyme flares up
Scientists continue to tussle over the identity of an enzyme implicated in Alzheimer's disease.
By John Travis -
19210
Contrary to your article, animal cells do not possess “cell walls,” as suggested by “proteases are usually much smaller and don’t inhabit cell walls.” Plants have cell walls; animal cells are bound by a single lipid bilayer membrane. David Winialski Tallahassee, Fla.
By Science News - Earth
Algal bloom is smothering Florida coral
The anomalous growth of a native alga—now blanketing the seabed in a huge swath off the southern coast of Florida—points to overfertilization with upwelling sewage.
By Janet Raloff -
Cancer patients accentuate the positive
Group therapy that promotes positive types of personal growth in breast cancer patients may also result in beneficial physiological changes.
By Bruce Bower - Agriculture
Bt corn variety OK for black swallowtails
The first published field study of butterflies and genetically altered corn finds no harm to black swallowtail caterpillars from a common corn variety.
By Susan Milius - Health & Medicine
Keeping the beat
Muscle cells taken from embryonic rats and put into an adult rat's heart can transmit the electric signals that govern the heartbeat.