Uncategorized
- Planetary Science
It’s time to redefine what qualifies as a planet, scientists propose
Astronomers can have their definition of a planet, but some planetary scientists plan to stick to the long-held meaning of the word.
- Genetics
In 1967, LSD was briefly labeled a breaker of chromosomes
Claims that the hallucinogenic drug damaged DNA were quickly rejected. But questions remain about how LSD works.
- Animals
Female guppies with bigger brains pick more attractive guys
A larger-brained female guppy may pick primo males, but all that mental machinery costs her in other ways.
- Paleontology
Anatomy analysis suggests new dinosaur family tree
A new analysis rewrites the dinosaur family tree, splitting up long-recognized groups.
- Neuroscience
Lab tests aren’t the answer for every science question
Acting Editor in Chief Elizabeth Quill discusses the value of observational science.
- Particle Physics
Readers question supernova physics
Star-destroying neutrinos, heart-hugging robots and more in reader feedback.
- Planetary Science
How Pluto’s haze could explain its red spots
Pluto’s collapsing atmosphere may explain the dwarf planet’s seemingly random ruddy spots.
- Animals
Colorful pinwheel puts a new spin on mouse pregnancy
Among the winners of the 2017 Wellcome Image Awards is a rainbow of mouse placentas that shows how a mother’s immune system affects placental development.
- Health & Medicine
Cancer cells cast a sweet spell on the immune system
Tumors have surface sugars that persuade the body’s defenses to look the other way. New therapies are being devised to break the trance.
- Astronomy
Close pass by sun didn’t radically alter comet 67P’s landscape
Landslides on comet 67P shot plumes of dust into space, but changes like these might not radically alter the landscape of the comet.
- Life
Life on Earth may have begun as dividing droplets
Chemical droplets could split and reproduce in the presence of an energy source, new computer simulations suggest.
- Physics
Single-atom magnets store bits of data
Scientists read and write data by harnessing the magnetic properties of holmium atoms.
