Uncategorized
- Planetary Science
Exploring the Red Planet
Searching for signs of subsurface water on the Red Planet and analyzing the elemental and mineral composition of surface rock, NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft begins its main mapping mission next month and may shed light on several enduring puzzles about the planet.
- Anthropology
Stone Age signs of complexity
Ancient engravings found in South Africa support the theory that humans began to think and behave in symbolic ways a surprisingly long time ago.
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18986
If the stones in this article simply were used for grinding ocher to make powder, would not the grinder rough up the surface to make it a better grindstone? The marks may be nothing more than primitive knurls. Rather than art, this looks like a tool to me, not different in principle from flaked flint. […]
- Anthropology
The gene that came to stay
A gene thought by some scientists to foster a bold, novelty-seeking personality, as well as attention-deficit hyperactivity (ADHD), apparently spread substantially in human populations over roughly the past 40,000 years.
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- Ecosystems
Tadpole Science Gets Its Legs . . .
The amazingly complex tadpole now shines in ecological studies.
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Biological Dark Matter
The discovery that some genes encode RNA strands instead of proteins has surprised biologists.
- Health & Medicine
Viruses stop antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Bacteriophages, viruses that destroy bacteria, can protect mice from bacteria that are impervious to antibiotics.
- Chemistry
New structure reveals catalysts’ details
Researchers have created a new compound that contains a palladium atom bonded in a unique way to six silicon atoms.
- Earth
Earth’s inner core could include silicon
Laboratory experiments investigating the crystal structure of iron-silicon alloys at high temperatures and pressures may yield new insights into the mineral composition of Earth's core.
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19048
I seem to be missing something when I read articles that refer to the immense pressures at Earth’s core. If the source of gravity is mass and there’s equal mass in all directions at the core, then the core should be suspended in zero gravity. It’s very frustrating for me to get this wrong. Glenn […]
- Animals
Hanging around Mom’s web helps everybody
For nearly grown spiderlings, lingering in their mother's web instead of setting off on their own turns out to be a boon for the mom, as well as themselves.
