A gamma-ray burst from a galaxy 12 billion light-years from Earth packed 100 times more energy than a supernova explosion.

Scientists have for the first time identified a specific gene that appears to be one of many contributing to high intelligence, at least as assessed on a standard IQ test.

Extraterrestrial dust may sometimes flood Earth's atmosphere with enough debris to trigger a prolonged climatic crisis and extinctions.

A microscopic tube of carbon atoms lying across a pair of metal electrodes can operate as a simple transistor at room temperature.

Scientists have identified the compound in grapefruit juice that may increase the potency of many drugs.

Tiger salamanders that eat members of their own species provide the first laboratory demonstration that an increased risk of disease limits the evolution of cannibalism.

Research Notes

Biology

The lethal component of the anthrax toxin may disrupt a cell’s internal signaling.

In a move to oppose the patenting of genetically engineered life-forms, two people have filed for a patent on the creation of creatures composed of both animal and human cells.

Biomedicine

Rapid weight-lifting exercises appear to improve an older person's ability to rise from a chair or break a fall.

Muscle training to counteract the wasting that often accompanies AIDS didn’t exacerbate the disease.

Earth Science

Satellite images suggest that an Antarctic ice sheet may be collapsing.

Temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere have climbed higher in the last decade than at any other time in the past 6 centuries.

Nutrition

Differences between blacks and whites in sodium retention, which may influence blood pressure and bone density, may begin before adulthood.

A new analysis of animal studies confirms that diets rich in wheat bran protect against colon cancer.

 Heat-loving enzymes stay cool under stress

Researchers have synthesized proteins to survive boiling-hot temperatures.