Uncategorized
- Chemistry
Milk protein does a membrane good
Chemical engineers have created a new type of durable membrane from whey protein, a natural component of milk.
- Chemistry
Molecules, like Tinkertoys, link up
Researchers have tailored molecules so that they self-assemble into predictable shapes on a gold surface.
- Paleontology
Even flossing wouldn’t have helped
Small particles trapped in minuscule cracks or pits in the teeth of plant-eating dinosaurs could give scientists a way to identify the types of greenery the ancient herbivores were munching.
By Sid Perkins - Paleontology
CT scan unscrambles rare, ancient egg
A tangled heap of bones and bone fragments in the bottom of an unhatched elephant bird egg may soon be reassembled into a model of the long-dead embryo, thanks to high technology—and scientists won't even have to crack open the egg to do it.
By Sid Perkins -
19025
Researcher Mark Goodwin’s conclusion that a hollow base to an animal’s horn greatly diminishes its strength, and hence its utility in defense or dueling, begs for an engineering analysis. In tension, compression, and torsion about the axis of symmetry, most of the strength of a cylindrical structure comes from the walls, not the interior. If […]
By Science News - Paleontology
How did Triceratops grow its horns?
Newly discovered fossil skulls of juvenile Triceratops may help reveal how the dinosaurs grew their three trademark horns.
By Sid Perkins - Paleontology
Fossils found under tons of Kitty Litter
Excavations at North America's largest Kitter Litter mine have yielded fossils of ancient aquatic reptiles, as well as evidence of a tsunami generated by the extraterrestrial impact that killed off the dinosaurs about 65 million years ago.
By Sid Perkins - Health & Medicine
Pregnancy spurs a tumor suppressor
Pregnancy hormones may prime breast cells to maintain a supply of p53, a cancer suppressor protein, thus accounting for why women who have undergone pregnancy generally have a lower breast cancer risk than do others.
By Nathan Seppa - Health & Medicine
Hormone wards off immune cells in womb
A hormone known for its involvement in the brain's response to stress also plays a key role in shielding the developing embryo from its mother's immune system.
By Ben Harder - Health & Medicine
AMA: Drugs are for anthrax, not fear
Doctors should not use antibiotics prophylactically against anthrax unless there is good reason to believe the individual had encountered the germs directly, the American Medical Association advises.
By Janet Raloff - Health & Medicine
Retail meats host drug-resistant bacteria
Three studies appear to tie livestock growth promoters to risk of serious human disease.
By Janet Raloff - Earth
Lowland tree loss threatens cloud forests
Changes in regional climate brought about by large-scale deforestation in the eastern lowlands of Central America are affecting weather in the mountains downwind, imperiling ecosystems there.
By Sid Perkins