News
- Plants
Underground Hijinks: Thieving plants hack into biggest fungal network
For the first time, plants have been caught tapping into the most widespread of soil fungi networks and using it to steal food from green plants.
- Materials Science
Bigger, Cheaper, Safer Batteries: New material charges up lithium-ion battery work
A new material could make rechargeable lithium-ion batteries smaller, cheaper, and safer.
- Health & Medicine
New Drugs Beat Old Flu: Antiviral agents counter deadly 1918 influenza
After partially recreating a deadly influenza virus that swept the globe from 1918 to 1919 and killed millions of people, researchers have shown that available flu drugs could probably prevent a new pandemic of the 1918 influenza strain or a similar flu.
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Psychotic Biology: Genes yield clues to schizophrenia’s roots
Two genes involved in the transmission of glutamate, a key chemical messenger in the brain, are linked to the occurrence of the severe mental disorder schizophrenia.
- Astronomy
Big Bang Confirmed: Seeing twists and turns of primordial light
The latest observations of the cosmic microwave background reveal that photons from adjacent patches of the sky have slightly different polarizations.
- Chemistry
Toxin in absinthe makes neurons run wild
The alpha-thujone in absinthe—Vincent Van Gogh's favorite drink—blocks brain receptors for a natural inhibitor of nerve impulses, causing brain cells to fire uncontrollably.
- Paleontology
Salvaged DNA adds to Neandertals’ mystique
Researchers who isolated a sample of Neandertal mitochondrial DNA say that it provides no evidence that Neandertals contributed to modern human evolution.
- Earth
More Waters Test Positive for Drugs
Traces of drugs, excreted by people and livestock, pollute surface and ground waters in the United States, as had already been confirmed in Europe.
- Health & Medicine
Immune gene linked to prostate cancer
An immune-cell gene plays a role in predisposing men to prostate cancer.
- Astronomy
Found: Gamma-ray background information
Resolving a 30-year-old mystery, astronomers say they have identified the source of the faint, high-energy glow of radiation known as the gamma-ray background.
- Earth
Much that glitters is really old
New isotopic analyses of rock samples from one of the world's richest gold-mining regions suggest that the flecks of gold in those ores are more than 3 billion years old.
- Health & Medicine
New twist on a pet theory
Growing up with cats may reduce a child's risk of developing asthma—unless the child's mother has asthma as well.
