All Stories
- Genetics
Male smokers more likely to lose Y chromosomes
Male smokers are more likely to lose Y chromosomes in their blood cells than men who have never smoked or those who have kicked the habit.
- Astronomy
NASA’s Orion spacecraft has flawless first test flight
NASA’s new vehicle for human exploration of deep space has successfully completed its first unmanned test flight.
- Environment
Black carbon fouls New York subway stations
Black carbon, a respiratory irritant, fouls air in New York subway stations.
- Science & Society
Compassionate colleagues can help labs restart after disaster
Scientists plan for many things, but often not for disaster. Two scientists share their story of recovery after Superstorm Sandy.
- Climate
Greenhouse gases may spell wet future for Africa
Greenhouse gases played a role in boosting rainfall in Africa 14,000 to 21,000 years ago, a finding that may help predict future abundance of water on the continent.
- Life
Electric eels remote-control nervous systems of prey
Electric eels’ high-voltage zaps turn a prey fish against itself, making it freeze in place or betray a hiding place.
- Planetary Science
Ancient moon’s mega magnetic field explained
Apollo-era moon rocks reveal ancient lunar magnetic field was at least as powerful as the one surrounding modern Earth.
- Health & Medicine
A look back at 2013’s disasters
The Philippines, India and China each lost more than 1,000 lives in 2013 in mass calamities.
- Microbes
Microbes floating among clouds may munch on sugar
Floating in a cloud and noshing sweets while wrapped in a cozy bubble sounds like a pleasant dream. For some lucky bacteria, it may be a reality.
- Neuroscience
Main protein for sensing touch identified in mammals
A close look at how mice respond to touch has helped scientists pinpoint the protein, called Piezo2, that makes mammals feel the sensation.
- Materials Science
Carbon supplants silicon in electronic medical sensors
Prototypes of electronic medical devices constructed from organic materials are noninvasive yet offer similar performance as silicon-based health sensors.
- Planetary Science
Preparing for disaster, celebrating success
Science cannot prevent all disasters or solve all the problems they spawn, but it can point to the best ways to prepare, making disasters less damaging than they might otherwise be
