Earth
- Humans
Fewer fires in Africa these days
How flames spread, not how frequently people start them, controls burning on the continent.
- Life
BPA sends false signals to female hearts
The ingredient of some plastics and food packaging can interfere with cardiac rhythm at surprisingly low concentrations.
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- Earth
Acid test points to coming fish troubles
Young fish can suffer severe damage from the ocean acidification expected within this century.
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- Chemistry
Deep-sea battery comes to light
Microbes fuel a weak electrical current at hydrothermal vents.
- Earth
Weather affects timing of some natural hazards
Seasonal patterns in earthquakes and volcanic eruptions can be linked to rain and snow in certain locations.
- Earth
Dead Sea once went dry
The Holy Land’s salt lake ran out of water during a warm spell about 120,000 years ago, which suggests it could disappear again.
- Health & Medicine
E. coli evade detection by going dormant
When stressed, bacteria can temporarily turn comatose and dodge germ-screening tests.
- Earth
Arctic has taken a turn for the warmer
Northern climate has changed substantially in the last five years, and the shift is probably permanent.
- Earth
Polar ice sheets are synchronized swimmers
Glaciers in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres advance and retreat together.
- Humans
Germs’ persistence: Nothing to sneeze at
Years ago, I read (probably in Science News) that viruses can’t survive long outside their hosts. That implied any surface onto which a sneezed-out germ found itself — such as the arm of a chair, kitchen counter or car-door handle — would effectively decontaminate itself within hours to a day. A pair of new flu papers now indicates that although many germs will die within hours, none of us should count on it. Given the right environment, viruses can remain infectious — potentially for many weeks, one of the studies finds.
