Science News

All Stories by Science News

  1. Humans

    From the January 15, 1938, issue

    Radio-assisted snowplows, getting to know the "X" particle, and ancient frozen mammoths found in Siberia.

  2. Animals

    Secret Lives of Worms

    Colorful and compelling, this science-rich, 15-minute video offers an up-close glimpse into the weird world of segmented worms—from nightcrawlers and leeches to feathery coral-dwelling dazzlers. Go to: https://www.sciencenews.org/sn-magazine/april-11-1987

  3. 19917

    Regarding this article; while drug companies wish to market their products, my attention is drawn to the fact that 1 in 8 of the control group of psoriasis patients was cured by placebo effect. Who will investigate the process therein? Is there a market for it? Carson BarnesLoma Mar, Calif. A potent placebo effect, even […]

  4. 19916

    Distilleries have been around since the dawn of time, including barleycorn (whiskey), maize (whiskey), potatoes (vodka), sugarcane (rum), and arcane brews distilled from beets, bread crumbs, and bamboo. The ethanol molecule cares not one wit about its particular provenance, so what is so special about a soil-depleting broom like switchgrass, when economically important sources have […]

  5. Humans

    Letters from the January 19, 2008, issue of Science News

    Evening the score When Ai, mother of the chimp Amuyu, whose mental feats you reported in “Chimp Champ: Ape aces memory test, outscores people” (SN: 12/8/07, p. 355), appeared in a television documentary a few years ago, I reproduced for myself the number-sequence test she performed and found that, after practice, I could easily outperform […]

  6. Health & Medicine

    The State of Our Nutrition

    With the new year, people start thinking about dieting and developing better overall health habits. Want to know which regions of the nation started out the year as the most and least healthy—and by what measures? Turn to new maps prepared by the Agriculture Department and click on the state(s) of interest. Agency scientists have […]

  7. Humans

    From the January 8, 1938, issue

    Social scientist named AAAS president, rarest of the rare found high in the air, and an unusual joint for a skull.

  8. 19915

    This article says that the companion star of the pulsar PSR B1516+02B must be “tiny” because it cannot be seen. Isn’t it possible that the companion is made of dark matter? Is there a “wobble” test or other way to discern between a companion that is truly tiny (low mass) and one that is perhaps […]

  9. Humans

    Letters from the January 12, 2008, issue of Science News

    Shades of meaning In “Going Coastal: Sea cave yields ancient signs of modern behavior” (SN: 10/20/07, p. 243), researcher Curtis Marean refers to Stone Age people using a reddish pigment for “body coloring or other symbolic acts.” What reason is there for jumping to this conclusion? As with cave painting and figurines, there seems to […]

  10. Earth

    Focus on Our Planet

    Although the United Nations has officially designated 2008 as the International Year of Planet Earth, the 3-year celebration actually began a year ago and will continue through December 2009. The program’s ultimate goal: “to build safer, healthier and wealthier societies around the globe” through a better appreciation for and harnessing of Earth sciences. The UN […]

  11. Humans

    From the January 1, 1938, issue

    Giant electric machines in the works, a mysterious new subatomic particle, and seeking the age of an isthmus.

  12. Humans

    Letters from the January 5, 2008, issue of Science News

    Missing link “Antibiotics in infancy tied to asthma” (SN: 7/7/07, p. 14) reported a correlation but no confident explanation for the relationship between receiving antibiotics and later developing asthma. “Ulcer bug may prevent asthma” (SN: 10/27/07, p. 270), which reports that children with Helicobacter pylori in their stomachs are less likely to get asthma, seems […]