Uncategorized
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Archaeology
Almond Joy, Stone Age Style: Our ancestors had a bash eating wild nuts
New finds at a 780,000-year-old Israeli site indicate that its ancient residents used stone tools to crack open a variety of hard-shelled nuts that were gathered as a dietary staple.
By Bruce Bower -
Health & Medicine
Suspicious DNA: Chromosome study homes in on Alzheimer’s disease
Several human chromosomes now face intensified scrutiny for possibly harboring genes involved in Alzheimer's disease.
By Ben Harder -
Tech
Beam Team: Unusual laser emits a band of light
A novel laser on a microchip emits a band of light rather than the single, pure color usually expected from a laser.
By Peter Weiss -
Health & Medicine
Chill Out: Mild hypothermia aids heart attack recovery
Icing down patients who have just had a heart stoppage may boost their survival chances and prevent brain damage in those who pull through.
By Nathan Seppa -
From the February 20, 1932, issue
LIGHT FLOODS MONUMENT FOR CELEBRATION Science and engineering are aiding the Washington Bicentennial celebration, for they have just joined hands to illuminate in a very realistic fashion the famous obelisk that is named for the father of his country. The striking photograph of the shaft and its reflection in the Lincoln Memorial pool shows how […]
By Science News -
Math
Math Class Artifacts
Do you recall the 7-foot-long slide rule that used to hang above the blackboard in math class? Ever wonder who invented graph paper? Have you worked with a geoboard? The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History has put together an exhibit displaying tools used to teach mathematics in the United States from the 1800s to […]
By Science News -
Health & Medicine
Indoor tanning ups all skin cancer rates
Artificial sunbathing using ultraviolet lights increases the risk of all types of skin cancer.
By Ben Harder -
Physics
A new way to stick it to flies
Researchers have measured the amount of static charge that a walking house fly generates.
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Earth
Shuttle yields detailed, 3-D atlas
NASA scientists and Defense Department mapmakers are assembling billions of radar measurements made from the space shuttle Endeavour to produce what they say will be the world’s best topographic map.
By Sid Perkins -
Paleontology
Dinosaur tracks show walking and running
A single trail of dinosaur footprints found in a British limestone quarry preserves a record of two different walking styles in the same animal, a tantalizing clue that some types of lumbering, bipedal dinosaurs could also run if the need arose.
By Sid Perkins -
Planetary Science
Galileo at Jupiter: The goodbye tour
After more than 6 years spent touring Jupiter and its four largest moons, the Galileo spacecraft’s mission is beginning to wind down.
By Ron Cowen -
Infants emerge as picky imitators
By the age of 14 months, babies display a feel for evaluating the sensibility of an adult's behavior and either imitating the means to a goal or opting for a simpler way to achieve the same result.
By Bruce Bower