News in Brief
- Environment
Stillbirth rates tied to lead in drinking water
Fetal death rates rose in Washington, D.C., in parallel with two recent spikes in drinking water’s lead levels.
- Particle Physics
Electrons’ roundness frustrates researchers
Experiment finds no signs of asymmetry, which would point to undiscovered particles.
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- Life
Neandertal genes point to interbreeding, inbreeding
DNA from 50,000 years ago underscores modest levels of mating across hominid populations.
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- Chemistry
Ancient bond holds life together, literally
The chemical link between sulfur and nitrogen in animal tissues and organs may have sparked the assembly of single cells into complex animals.
- Microbes
Virus-thwarting mosquitoes decline on Vietnamese island
Scientists plan to release second generation of mosquitoes that stop the spread of dengue fever.
- Earth
Green lightning may be caused by positive charges, or by camera lens
Physicist offers possible explanations for stunning photograph of volcanic eruption.
- Materials Science
Nanoglue attaches tissues to each other
Silica particles could repair and help engineer human organs.
- Humans
Fossils reveal a strong-armed, dead-end hominid
Olduvai Gorge finds suggest extinct hominid both walked and hung out in trees.
- Planetary Science
Mars was habitable longer, more recently than thought
Warmer, wetter conditions lasted until 3.5 billion years ago on the Red Planet.
- Astronomy
Saturn’s six-sided cloud pattern gets a close look
New images show particles in the planet’s hexagonally shaped jet stream.
