News
- Paleontology
Fossils’ ear design hints at aquatic lifestyle
New studies of distinctive skull structures in fossils of one of Earth's earliest-known four-limbed creatures suggest the animal could hear best when it was underwater.
- Chemistry
Secret of strong silk
By controlling the amount of water in their glands, spiders and silkworms prevent their silk proteins from crystallizing prematurely.
- Earth
Exposure to phthalate may shorten pregnancy
Babies exposed to a common phthalate plasticizer before birth spend a week less in the womb than do those without evidence of exposure.
- Chemistry
Catalyzing green chemistry
A recyclable catalyst promises to eliminate the waste generated during the manufacture of a wide range of chemicals, including drugs and ceramics.
- Earth
Indonesian reefs fell prey to fires
The fires that swept through Indonesian rain forests late in 1997 apparently laid waste to some marine ecosystems, as well.
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Babies show eye for object lessons
Between 4 months and 6 months of age, babies learn that objects continue to exist even when they disappear behind barriers.
- Astronomy
Lights out
Astronomers who have conducted a detailed analysis of the colors of some 37,000 nearby galaxies conclude that the universe is gradually growing darker.
- Chemistry
Amino acid lends a heavy hand
Scientists have identified a mechanism to explain how amino acids evolved to become exclusively left-handed in all living organisms.
- Tech
Smart dust can swarm target
Microscopic mirrors can swarm a target and produce an optical signal that identifies the target to the observer.
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Flag raised for kids’ mental health
A study of North Carolina children and teenagers finds that at least 1 in 3 developed one or more psychiatric disorders by age 16.
- Planetary Science
A phoenix on Mars
If all goes according to plan, a spacecraft will land on the north polar region of Mars in 2008 and scoop up samples of the icy terrain.
- Anthropology
Continental Survivors: Baja skulls shake up American ancestry
Members of a foraging group that lived on Mexico's Baja peninsula around 600 years ago were direct descendants of America's first settlers, who arrived on the continent at least 12,000 years ago.
