All Stories
- Earth
Attack of the Rock-Eating Microbes!
Geologists who examine mineral transformations increasingly see bacteria at work, leading the scientists to conclude that if microbes aren't driving the underlying chemical reactions, at least they're taking advantage of the energy that's released.
- Plants
Micro Sculptors
Snippets of RNA that control biochemical reactions by squelching the creation of specific proteins play a role in the development of leaves.
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- Humans
Everyday Mysteries
Why do onions make you cry? What causes the noise when you crack a joint? How does sunscreen work? The Library of Congress offers “everyday mysteries” Web pages devoted to answering such questions. The archive includes responses to questions in a wide range of fields, from anthropology to zoology. Go to: http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/archive.html
- Humans
From the November 4, 1933, issue
WEIGHT LOSS FOUND TO BE CLUE TO PERSONALITY TYPE A new link between the mind and the body has been described to psychologists in a report by Dr. W.R. Miles and his wife, Dr. Catharine C. Miles, of the Institute of Human Relations, Yale University. The minute quantities of weight lost from your body when […]
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- Earth
Chemical Reaction: Two flame retardants to phase out in 2004
The sole U.S. manufacturer of two widely used brominated fire retardants pledged to phase out its production of both products by the end of next year.
- Animals
Not-So-Great Hunter: Said the spider to the fly—Eek! I’m outta here
The poisonous brown recluse spider may turn out not to be a fearsome hunter so much as a scavenger.
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Calcium Makes Germs Cluster: Ion dilution leads cholera bacteria to disperse
A protein on the surface of cholera-causing bacteria enables the pathogens to clump together in seawater and to scatter when they enter fresh water, perhaps facilitating seasonal outbreaks of cholera in coastal areas.
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19358
This article says that emotions can both decrease and enhance memories of specific events. It’s been over 40 years since President John F. Kennedy was murdered, and I can remember being in my U.S. History class and hearing the news on the loudspeakers, as if it happened an hour ago. I have absolutely no memory […]
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Forgetting to Remember: Emotion robs memory while reviving it
A common biological mechanism may boost memory for emotional events and block recall for what happened just before those events occurred, at least over the short run.
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19282
That draining wetlands leads to a greater likelihood of frosts and freezes in southern Florida was noted nearly a century ago. In The Commodore’s Story (1930, R. Munroe and V. Gilpin, Washburn), Ralph Munroe commented that “the ‘frost line’ moved spasmodically down the state as drainage decreased the water area and apparently influenced the temperature.” […]
