Science News

All Stories by Science News

  1. 19572

    I was very glad to read of the research done by Stefano Pluchino with adult-mouse stem cells. I am, however, terribly disappointed with his comment that therapeutic trials in humans are 4 to 5 years away. As someone with multiple sclerosis and a scientific background, I see no reason why the timetable can’t be moved […]

  2. 19571

    The information in this article represents the first indication of a potential test for the onset of esophageal cancer (EC), the fastest-growing cancer in the United States. EC kills 94.5 percent of patients diagnosed. Unfortunately, until EC has reached stage IV, no symptoms present themselves to the patient. A routine screening procedure that might be […]

  3. 19570

    This article makes a comparison: “A LED can last for up to 100,000 hours compared with the 1,000-hour lifetime of a typical lightbulb and the 10,000-hour lifetime of a typical fluorescent lightbulb.” This is misleading in comparing the maximum LED lifetime with typical bulb lifetimes. The typical lifetime of an LED depends on the application. […]

  4. 19569

    A lot of people ask how someone like Richard Feynman, who played the bongo drums, loved practical jokes, and was an amateur safecracker and a bon vivant, could also win a Nobel Prize in Physics. Actually, all of Feynman’s disparate characteristics are entirely in keeping with each other. In psychiatrist Carl Jung’s terms, Feynman was […]

  5. Science News writers win physics and astronomy awards

    Nobody ever said that writing about physics is easy. Keeping readers comfortable while piloting them through rapids of equations and torrents of abstract complexities can test the most experienced journalist. Members of the Science News staff face that challenge every week—and the success of our writers has been highlighted this year by two organizations of […]

  6. Humans

    From the July 6, 1935, issue

    A phantom ship on Crater Lake, a possible dietary cure for cancer, and an island universe in a cloud of dust.

  7. Health & Medicine

    Anatomia

    These Web pages feature more than 4,500 historic illustrations of human anatomy, taken from 95 rare books, ranging in date from 1522 to 1867. The books come from the University of Toronto’s Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library. See, for example, a drawing of the human heart and lungs, taken from René Descartes’ book De homine, […]

  8. 19568

    Your article suggests that the change is an evolutionary process. However, this and the other examples given are all more selective breeding than natural selection. In this case, organisms with undesirable characteristics (smaller size) are overrepresented during reproduction as the result of removing the larger organisms from the breeding population. Robert ArdreyPrescott, Ariz. The tale […]

  9. 19567

    Why slam a copper impactor into Comet Tempel 1? Wouldn’t copper vapor contaminate the spray? Why not a high-temperature ceramic? P.M. deLaubenfelsCorvallis, Ore. According to Casey Lisse of the Deep Impact team, copper was chosen because its density put a lot of mass into a small package, its relative softness reduced bounce at impact, and […]

  10. 19566

    I have experienced sleep paralysis in almost all of its forms, from terrors to vibrations and auditory hallucinations to out-of-body experiences. Most often it is completely terrifying, but I did have one episode that was elating. Sweet dreams. Kathleen MilroyOntario, Canada The manifestations reported by sufferers of sleep paralysis are eerily similar to the visitation […]

  11. Humans

    From the June 29, 1935, issue

    Science and engineering in a photo-mural, organs grown outside the body, and inexpensive air conditioning.

  12. Humans

    Evolution at the Academies

    The National Academies have unveiled a new resource for the public on evolution. The Web site provides access to books, position statements, and additional material on evolution education and research. Go to: http://nationalacademies.org/evolution/