Uncategorized
- Earth
General relativity has readers feeling upside down
Readers respond to the June 25, 2016, issue of Science News with questions on Earth's age, moaning whales, plate tectonics and more.
- Genetics
Scientists get a glimpse of chemical tagging in live brains
For the first time scientists can see where molecular tags known as epigenetic marks are placed in the brain.
- Paleontology
Humans may have taken different path into Americas than thought
An ice-free corridor through the North American Arctic may have been too barren to support the first human migrations into the New World.
- Physics
The pressure is on to make metallic hydrogen
Scientists are getting close to turning hydrogen into a metal — both in liquid form and maybe even solid form. The rewards, if they pull it off, are worth the effort.
- Paleontology
T. rex look-alike unearthed in Patagonia
A new dinosaur species discovered in Patagonia has the runty forearms of a Tyrannosaurus rex, but is not closely related to the gigantic predator.
- Anthropology
Notorious ‘ape-man’ fossil hoax pinned on one wrongdoer
New Piltdown Man study pegs infamous ‘ape-man’ skull forgery on one well-informed culprit.
- Animals
Betty the crow may not have invented her hook-bending tool trick
Textbook example of Betty the crow’s proposed insight into toolmaking is now called into question by observations of similar hook bending by wild New Caledonian birds.
- Neuroscience
Aging-related protein may play role in depression
Mouse study reveals link between aging protein and depression.
- Environment
New desalination tech could help quench global thirst
Designed with better, more energy-efficient materials, next-generation desalination plants may offer a way to meet the world’s growing need for freshwater.
- Particle Physics
Cooling stars hint at dark matter particles
Stars that cool faster than expected can be explained by hypothetical particles called axions.
- Astronomy
Magnetic fields in sun rise at 500 kilometers per hour
Magnetic fields within the sun rise up no faster than about 500 kilometers per hour, suggesting that the movement of gas is responsible for bringing these fields to the sun’s surface.
- Animals
These lizards bleed green
Blood and bones turn naturally green in island lizards. Their evolutionary history still needs explaining.
