News
- Earth
Going Down? Probe could ride to Earth’s core in a mass of molten iron
A geophysicist suggests that scientists could explore Earth's inner structure by sending a grapefruit-size probe on a week-long mission to the Earth's core inside a crust-busting mass of molten iron.
- Anthropology
Stone Age Genetics: Ancient DNA enters humanity’s heritage
Genetic material extracted from the bones of European Stone Age Homo sapiens, sometimes called Cro-Magnons, bolsters the theory that people evolved independently of Neandertals.
- Humans
Sea burial for Canada’s cod fisheries
The Canadian government has declared an end to cod fishing in nearly all of the country’s Atlantic waters.
- Materials Science
Zeolites get an organic makeover
Scientists can now incorporate organic groups into the framework of zeolites, a kind of inorganic crystal.
- Health & Medicine
Boosting the TB vaccine
A new vaccine for tuberculosis outperforms the current one in tests on animals.
- Chemistry
Drug smugglers leave cellular tracks
Imaging reveals where some experimental nanoscale capsules ferry drugs when they enter cells.
- Astronomy
A black hole that goes the distance
Astronomers have measured the mass of the most distant black hole known.
- Paleontology
Ancient wood points to arctic greenhouse
Chemical analyses of wood that grew in an ancient arctic forest suggest that the air there once was about twice as humid as it is now.
- Health & Medicine
Fecal glow could improve meat safety
Workers who process animal carcasses into meat might soon use a novel type of laser scanner to identify products that have been contaminated with feces.
- Astronomy
Supernovas, gamma-ray bursts: Two of a kind?
Astronomers have uncovered direct evidence that gamma-ray bursts are linked to supernovas.
- Tech
A Breath of Fresh Air: Bacteria rid sewage of its stink
Wastewater-treatment plants can use hydrogen sulfide-degrading bacteria instead of chemicals to reduce odors.
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Harvesting Intelligence: IQ gains may reach rural Kenya’s kids
Researchers say they've uncovered a dramatic IQ increase among Kenyan children over a recent 14-year period that may be due to environmental factors such as better nutrition and a greater parental emphasis on schooling.
