All Stories by Sarah Schwartz
- Neuroscience
Viva vagus: Wandering nerve could lead to range of therapies
Researchers are testing ways to stimulate the vagus nerve to treat a slew of ailments.
- Earth
Surface spills near fracking sites implicated in water contamination
Chemical spills from fracking operations are the likely source of chemicals found in drinking water wells in northeastern Pennsylvania.
- Animals
Fish have had telescoping jaws for 100 million years
Around 100 million years ago, fish developed a knack for extending their jaws to snare prey, and they’ve been perfecting this hunting technique ever since.
- Health & Medicine
Weight and sun exposure linked to onset of multiple sclerosis
Among people with multiple sclerosis, those with higher body mass and lower adolescent sun exposure tended to be diagnosed with the disease at an earlier age, a new study suggests.
- Chemistry
Chemistry Nobel granted for deciphering DNA repair
Three researchers win chemistry Nobel for working out how cells fix damaged genetic material
- Genetics
Chemistry Nobel honors studies of DNA repair mechanisms
Studies of DNA’s repair mechanisms have won Tomas Lindahl, Paul Modrich and Aziz Sancar the 2015 Nobel Prize in chemistry.
- Plants
Raindrops help pitcher plants trap dinner
Pitcher plants use the force of falling raindrops to fling prey into their traps.
- Plants
Stinky seeds dupe dung beetles
Seeds that look and smell like animal poop can trick dung beetles into spreading and burying the seeds.
- Earth
Giant asteroid may have triggered deadly volcano eruptions
Increased volcanic eruptions coincided much more closely with an asteroid impact and the extinction of the dinosaurs than previously believed, a new study suggests.
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- Life
‘Protocells’ show ability to reproduce
Lab-made “protocells” mimic the division process of early cells, and may help researchers understand cellular evolution.
- Animals
Math describes sheep herd fluctuations
Scientists have developed equations to describe the motion of a herd of sheep.
