6,698 results
- Earth
Treaty is Imminent for Genetically Engineered Foods
The Republic of Palau–a 9-year-old confederation of some 300 Pacific islands–has fewer than 20,000 inhabitants and a land area only about 2.5 times the size of Washington, D.C. Yet this tiny nation southeast of the Philippines made big history last week when its government became the 50th to ratify the United Nations’ Cartagena Protocol, a […]
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Better Mosquito: Transgenic versions spread less malaria
Genetic engineers for the first time have made a mosquito that's wonderfully bad at transmitting malaria.
- Animals
He and she cooperate on anti-aphrodisiacs
Scientists have for the first time identified a chemical that serves as a butterfly anti-aphrodisiac.
- Ecosystems
The Buzz over Coffee
Most people consider the continued spread of Africanized honeybees in the Americas as horrifying news. Nicknamed killer bees, these notorious social insects rile into stinging mobs with little provocation. But new research finds evidence that these irritable insects have been performing a hitherto unrecognized service for people around the world. They’ve helped keep down the […]
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Beer-flavoring compounds guide insects
The class of compounds that give beer its bitterness does two more sober jobs in Hypericum flowers.
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Mice have a sharp nose for pheromones
Mice can detect pheromones with great sensitivity and in a way that's distinct from that of the main olfactory system.
- Health & Medicine
Flower Power: Corn lily compound stops cancer in mice
A new study in mice suggests that cyclopamine, a plant derivative that causes birth defects in animals, can inhibit medulloblastoma, a brain cancer in children.
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After West Nile Virus
As biologists try to estimate the impact of West Nile virus on wildlife, it's not the famously susceptible crows that are causing alarm but much rarer species.
- Animals
Better Than Real: Males prefer flower’s scent to female wasp’s
In an extreme case of sex fakery, an orchid produces oddball chemicals to mimic a female wasp's allure so well that males prefer the flower scent to the real thing.
- Physics
Fluid Beauty
Visualizations of a swirling jet, an insect’s wake, agitated sand, and other types of fluid motion can produce stunning images. The American Physical Society’s Division of Fluid Dynamics annually recognizes research efforts that generate images having both scientific merit and aesthetic appeal. Its gallery of fluid motion features a variety of winning photographs (pdf images) […]
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19207
The negotiators of the global persistent organic pollutants (POPs) treaty will include country-specific exemptions for continued use of DDT for malaria control in the approximately two dozen countries still using it. Nevertheless, your article also notes that DDT may soon be unavailable in many malaria-stricken regions. To address this concern, countries should consider some form […]
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Ant Patrol
With more than 11,000 ant species now identified worldwide, the “Antbase” Web site serves as the definitive guide to these social insects. Hosted by the American Museum of Natural History, the site provides links to a variety of resources devoted to ants, including databases, image collections, and news articles. Go to: http://research.amnh.org/entomology/social_insects/
