News
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		AstronomyBefore the big one hits
The next time you hear about an asteroid or comet about to hit Earth, you can go to a new Internet site to find out where the collision will be and how much damage will occur.
By Ron Cowen - 			
			
		Neurons slow down for placebo effect
A placebo treatment temporarily quelled symptoms of Parkinson's disease in six people by decreasing the electrical activity of brain cells crucial to the condition.
By Bruce Bower - 			
			
		Health & MedicineHerbal erection pills may be spiked
Some pills marketed as herbal remedies for erectile dysfunction contain drugs that should be available only by prescription.
By Ben Harder - 			
			
		EarthFiltered air cuts down mutations
Microscopic particles in the air may mutate the DNA of sperm.
By John Travis - 			
			
		Two egg cells make fatherless mouse
By fusing two egg cells, researchers have created a mouse with no father.
By John Travis - 			
			
		AstronomyWindy endeavor
In early April, an Earth-orbiting satellite closed its doors after more than 2 years of collecting ions from the solar wind.
By Ron Cowen - 			
			
		AgricultureRethinking Refuges? Drifting pollen may bring earlier pest resistance to bioengineered crops
Pollen wafting from bioengineered corn to traditional varieties may be undermining the fight to keep pests from evolving resistance to pesticides.
By Susan Milius - 			
			
		AstronomyBack to the Beginning: Hubble’s infrared camera goes the distance
Using the Hubble Space Telescope, researchers have identified 26 galaxies that may be the youngest and most distant known.
By Ron Cowen - 			
			
		Expanding the Code: Engineered bacteria are genetic rebels
Researchers have created a bacterium that can incorporate artificial amino acids into their proteins.
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		Toddlers’ Supersize Mistakes: At times, children play with the impossible
Toddlers will sometimes try to climb into a toy car or otherwise treat small objects as if they were large ones, possibly because their brains occasionally fail to integrate visual information about object size with object identity.
By Bruce Bower - 			
			
		PhysicsHoley Water: Punctured fluid stays riddled
Extreme vibrations and high concentrations of tiny particles, such as cornstarch, in water can create holes in the liquid.
By Peter Weiss - 			
			
		EarthUnderwater Pavement: Asphalt deposits cover parts of Gulf of Mexico
Explorations of the seafloor in the southern Gulf of Mexico have revealed lavalike flows of asphalt that are home to a thriving ecosystem of microbes, mussels, tubeworms, and crabs.
By Sid Perkins