News
-
Health & MedicineProtective virus ties up HIV docking sites
A harmless virus that seems to keep HIV infections from progressing to AIDS appears to do so by occupying key molecular receptors on immune cells.
By Nathan Seppa -
PhysicsNew approach smooths wrinkle analysis
A simple new theory of wrinkle formation predicts basic traits of wrinkled surfaces, such as how close together the folds will be, without miring scientists in impossible-to-solve equations.
By Peter Weiss -
Brain training aids kids with dyslexia
Preliminary brain-imaging evidence indicates that after completing an intensive reading-remediation program, children with dyslexia not only read better but also exhibit signs of increased activity in key brain areas as they read.
By Bruce Bower -
AnthropologyAncient people get dated Down Under
New dating analyses indicate that people reached southeastern Australia between 50,000 and 46,000 years ago and that two human skeletons previously unearthed there were buried about 40,000 years ago.
By Bruce Bower -
TechWatching the Big Wheelers: In sea of cars, trucks reveal traffic flow
A new way to sense traffic jams more quickly tracks the motion of trucks within the overall traffic flow.
By Peter Weiss -
Materials ScienceMaking Polymers That Self-Destruct: Layers break apart in controlled way
A new polymer film chews itself apart under certain conditions, making it a potential candidate for the controlled delivery of therapeutic drugs.
-
Health & MedicineBlood sugar processing tied to brain problems
Elderly people with slightly elevated blood sugar are more likely to have short-term memory problems than those with normal blood sugar.
By Nathan Seppa -
Working Out: Welfare reform hasn’t changed kids so far
A study conducted among low-income families in three states suggests that the emotional health and academic skills of preschoolers and young adolescents don't suffer when their mothers move off welfare and into the workforce.
By Bruce Bower -
EarthSlippin’ Slide: Glaciers surge after ice shelf collapses
Five of the six large glaciers that once fed into Antarctica's Larsen A ice shelf have sped up significantly since that floating ice mass collapsed and drifted away in January 1995.
By Sid Perkins -
Health & MedicineUlcer Clue? Molecule could be key to stomach ailment
A protein called Ptprz binds with a bacterial toxin to produce ulcers in mice, possibly revealing a mechanism for the disorder.
By Nathan Seppa -
AstronomyDeath of a pioneer
Pioneer 10, the first spacecraft to reach the fringes of the solar system, appears to have sent its last feeble signal to Earth on Jan. 22.
By Ron Cowen -
Health & MedicineLight could be therapy against blindness
Beaming red light at rats soon after they've drunk methanol partially protects their eyes against that chemical's blinding effects.
By Ben Harder