News
- Physics
Intergalactic magnetism runs deep and wide
Mounting evidence that magnetic fields of surprising strength permeate intergalactic space raises questions about how the fields form and what effects they have.
- Health & Medicine
Drug Eases Bone Cancer Pain in Mice
Pain caused by bone cancer in mice can be alleviated somewhat by osteoprotegerin, a drug being tested for osteoporosis, suggesting a possible new treatment for people with this cancer.
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Spying on Plant Defenses: Insects monitor toxin ramp-up
A common caterpillar can sense when a plant is gearing up to manufacture insecticidal toxins and respond by starting up its own detoxification system.
- Earth
Snowball Melting? Ancient formation shows glacier activity
An ancient, well-preserved glacial formation in Oman provided evidence that Earth experienced intermittent ice ages like those in Earth's more recent history.
- Humans
Nobel Chemistry: Laureates’ techniques enable researchers to probe large biomolecules
The 2002 Nobel Prize in Chemistry recognized the work of three scientists who created tools for analyzing proteins and other large biological molecules.
- Earth
Contraceptive-Patch Worry: Disposal concern focuses on wildlife
Some scientists now worry that discarded contraceptive patches may leak synthetic estrogen into the environment, potentially harming wildlife.
- Health & Medicine
Less Crying in the Kitchen: Tasty, tearfree onions on the horizon
The discovery of a new enzyme responsible for creating the tear-inducing chemicals found in onions may herald the arrival of genetically modified tearfree onions.
- Astronomy
Celestial Divide: Finding two families of galaxies
By analyzing data from a mammoth sky survey, astromoners have found that galaxies divide into two distinct families, depending on their stellar mass.
- Paleontology
Dear Mummy: Rare fossil reveals common dinosaur’s soft tissue
A mummified dinosaur unearthed in Montana a year ago is giving scientists a rare peek at what the creature's muscles and other soft tissues may have looked like.
- Health & Medicine
Final Word? Breast surgeries yield same survival rate
Women with breast cancer who undergo partial-breast removal are just as likely to survive for at least 20 years as are women who have their entire breast removed.
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Long live the Y?
Researchers have identified a means by which the Y chromosome may forestall, or at least delay, the gradual degradation that some biologists argue will ultimately delete it from the human genome.
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Bacterial diet quiets worm genes
Genetically engineered bacteria help biologists turn off worm genes.
