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In ancient Southwest droughts, a warning of dry times to come
Anything but lush, the U.S. Southwest has been especially parched lately. About a decade ago a cycle of droughts began; the latest one has dried much of the region to a degree that meteorologists expect only twice a century. But look back a millennium or more, and you’ll find signs that today’s conditions are not […]
By Matt Crenson -
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Beer bubble math
The rate of change of bubble volume. If this quantity is positive, the bubble will grow; if it’s negative, it will shrink. A constant that depends on the temperature and the specific gas in the foam. (The foam on top of a glass of Guinness lasts unusually long because Guinness uses nitrogen in addition to […]
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Mind the gap: Genetic knowledge and medical power
Since the completion of the Human Genome Project a decade ago, much excitement has swirled around the possibility that determining a person’s genetic makeup could help doctors personalize the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease. But James P. Evans, a physician and geneticist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, says the promises […]