News in Brief

  1. Genetics

    Qatari people carry genetic trace of early migrants out of Africa

    Qatari genomes carry shards of DNA that date back 60,000 years, when humans began to leave Africa.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  2. Health & Medicine

    Blood test predicts if false labor is headed for delivery room

    A test for white blood cells and specific genetic markers may offer insights into whether preterm contractions are false labor or the real thing.

    By Nathan Seppa
  3. Climate

    Antarctic glacier melt is unstoppable

    The inevitable collapse of Antarctic’s western glaciers could raise global sea level by more than 4 meters in coming centuries.

    By Beth Mole
  4. Paleontology

    Asteroid strike spurred quick chill that led to dinosaurs’ demise

    After an asteroid struck Earth 66 million years ago, ocean temperatures fell 2 degrees Celsius, leading to mass extinction of dinosaurs and other life.

    By Ashley Yeager
  5. Astronomy

    Milky Way’s magnetic field mapped

    The Planck telescope sees the galaxy’s magnetic field in polarized light bouncing off interstellar dust grains.

    By Christopher Crockett
  6. Genetics

    Organism with artificial DNA alphabet makes its debut

    Using DNA molecules other than A, C, G and T, scientists have created the first living organism with an expanded genetic alphabet.

    By Beth Mole
  7. Animals

    Woodpecker beaks divulge shock-absorbing properties

    Scales, sutures and porosity help the birds hammer without going stupid.

    By Susan Milius
  8. Health & Medicine

    U.S. patient with MERS virus is on the mend

    A man in Indiana does not seem to have spread the potentially deadly respiratory illness.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  9. Health & Medicine

    Massachusetts insurance mandate lowers death rate

    Since “Romneycare” was phased in, mortality fell by 2.9 percent.

    By Nathan Seppa
  10. Health & Medicine

    First MERS case found in the U.S.

    Patient in Indiana had traveled from Arabian Peninsula, where most of the 463 cases of Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome have occurred.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  11. Microbes

    Viruses buoy life at hydrothermal vents

    Using hijacked genes, deep-sea viruses help sulfur-eating bacteria generate power in the plumes of hydrothermal vents.

    By Beth Mole
  12. Health & Medicine

    Drug resistance has gone global, WHO says

    World Health Organization reports that antibiotics are failing worldwide against infections.

    By Nathan Seppa