All Stories
- Earth
Daily Planet Earth
The Earth Science Picture of the Day Web site features photos, satellite images, and illustrations that highlight the diverse processes and phenomena shaping our planet and influencing our lives. A short explanatory caption and links to sources for more detailed information accompany each illustration. Go to: http://epod.usra.edu/
By Science News -
- Anthropology
Evolution’s Youth Movement
The fossils of ancient children may provide insights into the evolution of modern Homo sapiens.
By Bruce Bower - Health & Medicine
Dietary protection against sunburn (with recipe)
Nothing tastes more like summer, to this inveterate gardener, than a home-grown, vine-ripened tomato. As a child, on a sweltering August afternoon, I used to swipe one from our garden to nibble slowly in the backyard. Or Id share a bright red Beefsteak with mom. Slathered with mayonnaise and nestled on a bed of lettuce […]
By Janet Raloff -
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As an insect taxonomist, I was amused by your article about whimsical scientific names but disappointed that one of my favorites was not mentioned: the wasp Iaha ha. Sandra Shanks San Francisco, Calif. Three observations on your article: 1) Linnaean names, at their best, tell you something about the creature that is named. Thus while […]
By Science News -
- Physics
Electrons trip on tiny semiconductor steps
A first glimpse of how a semiconductor's surface alters electrons' magnetic fields, or spins, suggests that tiny steps in the surfaces are tripping up efforts to create so-called spintronics circuits from semiconductors.
By Peter Weiss - Health & Medicine
Genetic flaw found in painful gut disease
Scientists have discovered a genetic mutation that occurs in people with Crohn's disease, a digestive disorder that attacks the intestines.
By Nathan Seppa -
Slave-making ants get rough in New York
The whole ant slave-making business turns more violent in New York than in West Virginia, even though it features the same species.
By Susan Milius - Health & Medicine
Poliovirus slaughters brain tumors in mice
Scientists have altered a live polio virus, inducing it to target and kill brain tumor cells without causing polio.
- Chemistry
Designer surface proves deadly to bacteria
Researchers have made a surface coating that kills bacteria on contact in a novel way.
- Health & Medicine
Antibiotic resistance is coming to dinner
Foods tainted with bacteria that antibiotics don't kill are a recipe for more serious—even lethal—infections.
By Janet Raloff