All Stories
- Physics
Corralling the Mass Maker: Hunting ground shifts for elusive particle
Hunters of the most eagerly sought particle in high-energy physics, the Higgs boson, are gleaning fresh clues about where and how to look from a new finding about another fundamental particle called the top quark.
By Science News - Physics
Light Projects
This colorful, interactive Web site provides a lively introduction to the nature of light and spectra. A product of Project LITE (Light Inquiry Through Experiments) at Boston University, the site offers a variety of applets, activities, and materials on topics ranging from color mixing and afterimage effects to moire patterns and geometrical optics. A fascinating […]
By Science News - Humans
Letters from the June 12, 2004, issue of Science News
Go with the flow In “Tales of the Undammed: Removing barriers doesn’t automatically restore river health” (SN: 4/10/04, p. 235: Tales of the Undammed), the photo comparison of the dam site is deceptive because the two photos of the same spot appear to have been taken during different seasons. Hence, the lower photo shows a […]
By Science News - Tech
DNA puts its best foot forward
A robot made of DNA has taken its first steps, suggesting that such devices could eventually be used for nanoscale manufacturing.
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Chimp DNA yields complex surprises
A molecular comparison of chromosome 22 in chimpanzees with its counterpart in people reveals surprisingly complex genetic differences between the two species.
By Bruce Bower - Health & Medicine
Green tea takes on poison
Green tea contains a broad range of compounds that detoxify dioxin.
By Janet Raloff - Tech
Microwave mirror hits the spot
A technique for rebounding and refocusing sound also works for electromagnetic waves, possibly opening new uses ranging from improving cell phone communication to treating illness.
By Peter Weiss - Health & Medicine
Americans eat faster, and more
More and more people are eating at fast-food restaurants, and they down significantly more calories on the days they do.
By Janet Raloff - Chemistry
Crystal could generate pure hydrogen fuel
An organic crystal's unusual molecular-trapping behavior could help drive a new hydrogen economy.
- Health & Medicine
Statins might fight multiple sclerosis
Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs might work against multiple sclerosis by reducing inflammation, preliminary evidence suggests.
By Nathan Seppa -
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In the article, an agronomist claims that farmers “typically apply more fertilizer than their crops need” as an explanation for increased pollution in coastal waters. I don’t know any farmers who risk their products in the way suggested here. An examination of home lawn care would point to a much bigger problem. Mary HeinrichtCulpepper, Va. […]
By Science News - Earth
Limiting Dead Zones
To limit algal blooms and the development of fishless dead zones in coastal waters, farmers and other sources of nitrate are investigating novel strategies to control nitrate runoff.
By Janet Raloff