Tech

Agriculture

A Mushrooming Advance

Human skin isn't the only thing that makes vitamin D upon exposure to the ultraviolet radiation.

Chemistry

Blueprint to repel oil and water

The texture of surfaces could be designed so that both water and oil can bead up and thus flow off.

Chemistry

From Aerators to Rust — New Lead Risks

Rusty water and other unusual sources of toxic risks in home drinking water.

Chemistry

Faucets Destined for Brassy Changes

Although new standards poised to take effect in a few years will reduce the lead-leaching risk from drinking water faucets, showerheads and many other water dispensers around will remain unregulated.

Tech

Lead-free? Faucets are anything but

Featured blog: Users of brand-new buildings on a major university campus were surprised to discover high concentrations of lead in the water. Faucets were the culprit.

Chemistry

Holey Copper Pipes!

Engineers are homing in on germs and other surprises behind the development of tiny holes in home water pipes.

Tech

Bias, quakes and viruses, oh my!

Researchers present findings at the annual New Horizons in Science meeting.

Tech

Neuroengineering the Future: Virtual Minds and the Creation of Immortality by Bruce F. Katz

Infinity Science Press, 2008, 389 p., $49.95.

Tech

Magnetic Appeal: MRI and the Myth of Transparency by Kelly A. Joyce

Cornell Univ. Press, 2008, 198 p., $21.95.

Tech

Global Catastrophes and Trends: The Next Fifty Years by Vaclav Smil

MIT Press, 2008, 307 p., $29.95.

Chemistry

Long Live Plastics

With plastics in museums decomposing, a new effort seeks to halt the demise of materials commonly thought to be unalterable.

Earth

The Case for Very Hot Water

Turning down the thermostat on a home's water heater could foster the growth of toxic bacteria in home plumbing.