Science News Magazine:
Vol. 183 No. #8Trustworthy journalism comes at a price.
Scientists and journalists share a core belief in questioning, observing and verifying to reach the truth. Science News reports on crucial research and discovery across science disciplines. We need your financial support to make it happen – every contribution makes a difference.
More Stories from the April 20, 2013 issue
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Health & Medicine
News in Brief: HIV may increase heart attack risk
A large study of veterans shows connection between HIV and heart attack in men.
By Nathan Seppa -
Chemistry
Caffeine’s buzz attracts bees to flowers
Nectar of some blooms carries the drug, which improves bee memory.
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Neuroscience
Heavy drinkers get extra brain fuel from alcohol
Compared with the brains of light drinkers, the brains of heavy alcohol drinkers burn acetate better.
By Meghan Rosen -
Humans
Ancient people and Neandertals were extreme travelers
Stone Age folk were built for journeying farther than even the most active individuals today.
By Bruce Bower -
Tech
Facebook ‘likes’ can reveal users’ politics, sexual orientation, IQ
With data from thousands of volunteers, researchers connect social media activity to personal traits.
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Life
Tasmanian devil disease reveals its secrets
The contagious cancer evades the animal’s immune system by turning off key genes.
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Tech
Plastic implant replaces three-quarters of man’s skull
The polymer cranium was made using a 3-D printer.
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Health & Medicine
Heart benefits from quitting smoking outweigh weight gain
People who give up cigarettes have fewer heart problems despite gaining weight.
By Nathan Seppa -
Humans
Disputed finds put humans in South America 22,000 years ago
Brazilian site may have been home to people before the Clovis hunters.
By Bruce Bower -
Health & Medicine
Bee venom component might offer HIV protection
A toxin delivered by nanoparticles stops the virus in a lab study.
By Nathan Seppa -
Life
Shorter-winged swallows evolve around highways
In survey along Nebraska roads, number of birds killed by cars has plummeted over 30 years.
By Meghan Rosen -
Earth
Extreme storm surges may occur more often
Climate simulations suggest hurricane-caused flooding will increase in frequency as temperatures warm.
By Erin Wayman -
Tech
Cell phone data analysis dials in crime networks
A new program mines mobile provider records for suspicious patterns.
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Life
Giant squid population is one big happy species
Elusive deep ocean dwellers have low genetic diversity despite living around the globe.
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Life
Disease threatens garden impatiens
Surprising scientists, once-mild downy mildew has struck the popular blooms in 33 states.
By Susan Milius -
Physics
Universe is a teeny bit older than thought
Planck satellite reveals information from just after the Big Bang, largely confirming scientists' theories.
By Andrew Grant -
Psychology
Early malnutrition bodes ill for adult personality
Undernourishment in first year of life may destabilize personality decades later.
By Bruce Bower -
Earth
Landslides detected from afar
Seismic fingerprints can reveal that a rock avalanche has occurred in a remote location.
By Erin Wayman -
Health & Medicine
Experimental malaria drug may be a hot prospect
A synthetic compound attacks the parasite at three stages of infection, early tests show.
By Nathan Seppa -
Physics
Highlights from the American Physical Society meeting
Highlights from the March meeting, held in Baltimore on March 18-22, 2013, include how fire ants need a little water to dig deep, what makes trees scream and a tiny crystal that can squeeze through an even tinier tube.
By Science News -
SN Online
BECOMING HUMANLearn how people have been driving species to extinction since the Stone Age in a new column by Erin Wayman. Rufus Isaacs LIFE Wild insects are a key to bigger harvests. See “Native pollinators boost crop yields worldwide.” SCIENCE & SOCIETYBy tracking tweets, researchers identify communities. Read “Twitter maps New York City, language by […]
By Science News -
Animal Wise: The Thoughts and Emotions of Our Fellow Creatures by Virginia Morell
A science writer presents recent research that demonstrates a large repertoire of intellectual skills in a variety of animals. Crown, 2013, 291 p., $26
By Science News -
Blackett’s War: The Men Who Defeated the Nazi U-Boats and Brought Science to the Art of Warfare by Stephen Budiansky
A small group of scientists helped win World War II and changed the way wars are fought, a military historian postulates. Knopf, 2013, 336 p., $27.95
By Science News -
Love in the Time of Algorithms: What Technology Does to Meeting and Mating by Dan Slater
A journalist argues that the calculations powering online dating websites are shaping the love lives of the 80 million American singles who use the services. Current, 2013, 245 p., $25.95
By Science News -
Wolves in the Land of Salmon by David Moskowitz
An expert wildlife tracker paints a portrait of wolves’ lives and value to ecosystems, set against the backdrop of conflict over rising wolf populations. Timber Press, 2013, 334 p., $29.95
By Science News -
BOOK REVIEW: Antifragile: Things That Gain From Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Review by Bruce Bower.
By Science News -
Health & Medicine
Dose of Reality
HPV is epidemic, which is odd since it is largely preventable.
By Nathan Seppa -
Letters to the Editor
Pacing Alzheimer’s Science Stats “Alzheimer’s Advancing” (SN: 3/9/13, p. 4) reports a new analysis extrapolating from 2010 U.S. Census data that concludes Alzheimer’s disease will triple by 2050. Omitted in such an analysis is the accelerating advance of science and medicine over the next 40 years. The gloomy prediction makes little sense unless science stops […]
By Science News -
Turing: Pioneer of the Information Age by B. Jack Copeland
The ideas of mathematician and computer visionary Alan Turing are explored through interviews of his friends and colleagues. Oxford Univ., 2012, 300 p., $21.95
By Science News