News
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AstronomyCraft Probes Alien Planet’s Atmosphere
Astronomers have for the first time detected the atmosphere of a planet that lies well beyond the solar system.
By Ron Cowen -
Health & MedicineKawasaki patients show coronary calcium
The heart attack risk associated with Kawasaki disease, a childhood inflammatory disease that can cause aneurysms, may stem from calcium build-up in coronary arteries.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineLight blow to chest can be fatal
A light blow to the heart can cause cardiac arrest, even when the blow isn't hard enough to cause injury.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineStatins, yes; antioxidants, no
Taking cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins improves the health outlook for patients at risk of heart attack even when these patients aren't considered obvious candidates to receive the treatment.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineCuff therapy boosts growth factor
Cuffs that squeeze the legs of heart patients may relieve angina by boosting growth factors, which help build new blood vessels needed to nourish oxygen-starved heart muscle.
By Nathan Seppa -
It smells yellow to me
The colors associated with a smell can influence the brain's perception of the odor.
By John Travis -
Babies babble in just the right way
Infants babble out of the right side of their mouths, suggesting that the infantile sounds are more than noise.
By John Travis -
PhysicsMishap halts work at Japanese neutrino lab
A costly accident has indefinitely disabled Super-Kamiokande, a cutting-edge neutrino detector in Japan.
By Ben Harder -
Health & MedicineEnzyme fighter works as well as tamoxifen
The drug anastrozole generally works as well in fighting advanced breast cancer as better-known tamoxifen, and even surpasses it in certain patients.
By Nathan Seppa -
AstronomyIs this young star ready to form planets?
New observations suggest that a mere stripling of a star, which might be as young as 300,000 years old, has already formed planetesimals, the building blocks of planets.
By Ron Cowen -
TechTechnique senses damage before it hurts
A new technique for automatically detecting damage to aircraft, buildings, and other structures may lead to practical damage-monitoring systems by reducing false alarms that make today's laboratory prototypes unsuitable for real-world use.
By Peter Weiss -
AnimalsBirds with a criminal past hide food well
Scrub jays that have stolen food from other bird's caches hide their own with extra care.
By Susan Milius