All Stories by Aimee Cunningham
- Chemistry
Scrubbing troubles
Triclosan, an antibacterial agent found in many soaps, may increase a person's exposure to a potentially toxic chemical.
- Tech
Unlocking the Gaits: Robot tests locomotion switch
A blocky, bright-yellow robot that would look at home in a toy chest moves like a salamander, just as its inventors intended.
- Earth
Traces of Trouble
Scientists and engineers are investigating how to stem the flow of naturally-occurring and synthetic estrogens that, when released from waste water treatment plants and livestock operations, can harm aquatic life.
- Earth
Equal Opportunity Outcome: Different pollutants show same impact
At concentrations present in the environment, each of three dissimilar toxic agents can seize control of a signaling pathway that regulates developing cells in the central nervous system.
- Chemistry
Lighting up for uranium
A portable sensor could make it possible to rapidly detect environmental uranium contamination.
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Bacteria go for a spin
Researchers may have found the mechanism powering a mysterious gliding motion in bacteria.
- Tech
Transferred Touch: Sensory rewiring to improve prosthetics
Transferring a lost limb's nerves to other areas of the body might one day permit an amputee to feel the heat of a coffee cup with an artificial hand.
- Earth
Disaster’s Consequences: Hurricane’s legacy includes arsenic
Construction debris strewn across the Gulf Coast by Hurricane Katrina contains a disturbing amount of arsenic that could contaminate groundwater if not properly managed.
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Plastics ingredient disrupts fetal-egg development
A common estrogen-mimicking chemical can damage eggs while an animal is still in the womb.
- Chemistry
Magnet makeover
A new family of magnets may be a first step toward organic versions of the familiar metal objects.
- Materials Science
Savvy Skins
Researchers are developing new coatings that incorporate multiple functions, offer chemical reactivity, or act in response to stimuli in the environment.
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