All Stories

  1. Humans

    Jaw breaker

    An ancient human relative that lived more than 1 million years ago possessed huge jaws and teeth suited to eating hard foods but actually preferred fruits and other soft items, a new study finds.

    By Bruce Bower
  2. Health & Medicine

    Friend or foe? Drunk, the brain can’t tell

    Intoxicated brains can’t discern between threatening and safe situations.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  3. Humans

    A Proposed NSF for Innovation

    Researchers with the Brookings Institution have just published a blueprint for tackling what they perceive as a brewing innovation crisis. They propose that Uncle Sam create a federal agency to focus squarely on helping home-grown companies increase their innovation, productivity and profitability.

    By Janet Raloff
  4. Space

    Supermassive black hole says sayonara

    Researchers have the first observational hint for the existence of an ejected supermassive black hole, fired by a gravitational rocket from the core of the galaxy in which it formed.

    By Ron Cowen
  5. Humans

    Bear deadline

    Court calls for the already overdue decision on listing polar bears as a threatened species.

    By Susan Milius
  6. Earth

    Molten salts give biofuels a boost

    Making biofuels from the chemical energy locked in plant cell walls has proven difficult, but molten salts may help.

    By Patrick Barry
  7. Astronomy

    Massive minis

    Astronomers have discovered a puzzling group of galaxies in the early universe that are as tiny as babies but as massive as full-grown adults.

    By Ron Cowen
  8. Planetary Science

    Hop, skip and a jump

    Less gravity on Mars means wind-driven grains of sand travel up to 10 times faster than those blowing along Earth’s surface, new analyses suggest.

    By Sid Perkins
  9. Health & Medicine

    Let there be light

    Researchers report restoring vision to people with a rare, genetic form of blindness. A different technique helped blind mice see again and could bring back some sight in people with macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa or other blinding diseases.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  10. Psychology

    Smarten up

    Taxing memory training produces at least short-term increases in a critical type of intelligence.

    By Bruce Bower
  11. Health & Medicine

    Tripping up avian flu

    Developing an effective vaccine for avian flu has been difficult, but small rings of DNA that hinder virus replication could offer an alternative.

    By Patrick Barry
  12. Ecosystems

    Building Homes Where the Buffalo Roamed

    A new study finds that being environmentally conscious is no guarantee you’ll put your home where you mouth is.

    By Janet Raloff