All Stories
- Physics
Counting cracks in glass gives speed of projectile
There is a simple relationship between an object's velocity and the number of spokes it leaves in a dinged windshield or fractured windowpane.
- Tech
Recreating the eye of the fly
Inspired by insect vision, camera with 180 linked lenses captures panoramic views.
- Animals
Fossil illuminates ancestry of swifts and hummingbirds
Spectacularly preserved remains suggest that the two avian groups' predecessors got small before splitting and developing their flying chops.
- Life
Genetic fossils betray hepatitis B’s ancient roots
Modern bird genomes reveal evidence that virus is at least 82 million years old.
- Tech
Obama worried about research funding
Barack Obama offered yet another argument about why the current federal-budget stalemate is so risky: “[T]he sequester, as it’s known in Washington-speak — it’s hitting our scientific research.” As things now stand, “we could lose a year, two years of scientific research as a practical matter, because of misguided priorities here in this town.”
- Space
Snapshots reveal details of Saturn’s gigantic hurricane
Storm dwarfs anything on Earth, with enormous eye and whipping winds.
- Life
Bees need honey’s natural pharmaceuticals
Ingredients trigger insects' genes for detoxification and immune defenses against bacteria.
- Health & Medicine
Brain measurements predict math progress with tutoring
The size and connections of a brain structure associated with memory formation predicted learning ability in 8- and 9-year-old children.
- Humans
What ancient mummies have to tell us about the perils of modern life
Once you hit a certain age, visiting a doctor is basically a guilt trip. All that satisfying stuff you eat, drink or smoke is killing you, a white-coated overachiever tells you. You need to exercise and lose weight, or the grim reaper will be at your door long before you’re ready. And it will all […]
- Space
LHC detects asymmetry in particle’s decay
While interesting, the imbalance in the decay of strange B mesons isn’t large enough to explain why matter predominates over antimatter in the universe.
- Health & Medicine
HIV vaccine trial stopped
Shots-plus-booster strategy deemed ineffective in preventing infection.
- Health & Medicine
Hookah smoking delivers carcinogens and carbon monoxide
Water pipes deliver carcinogens, nicotine and carbon monoxide to the user, a study finds.
