News
- Anthropology
Peru Holds Oldest New World City
Construction of massive ceremonial buildings and residential areas at a Peruvian site began 4,000 years ago, making it the earliest known city in the Americas.
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When parents let kids go hungry
Researchers comparing Northern and Southern birds have confirmed a prediction about parents protecting themselves at their offsprings' expense.
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Weather cycles may drive toad decline
For the first time, scientists have linked a global climate pattern to a specific mechanism of amphibian decline.
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Worm sperm stimulate ovulation
A sperm protein for movement also prompts egg maturation and ovulation.
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Huntington’s protein may be kidnapper
An abnormal protein associated with Huntington's disease kills cells by stealing another protein needed for cell survival.
- Astronomy
Solar cannibalism
Billion-ton clouds of charged gas hurled from the sun can overtake and eat their slower-moving gaseous brethren, complicating predictions of when and if one of these clouds might strike Earth.
- Astronomy
Raging sun provides earthly light show
At the tumultous peak of its 11-year activity cycle, the sun is spitting out X-ray flares and belching giant clouds of high-energy particles at a furious rate.
- Astronomy
Gamma-ray bursts reveal distant galaxies
A gamma-ray burst recorded Feb. 22, one of the brightest ever detected, is proving to be the strongest evidence so far that these cosmic flashbulbs originate in star-forming regions of distant galaxies and are generated by the explosive death of massive stars.
- Health & Medicine
Vitaminlike compound eases rare disorder
A vitaminlike substance called coenzyme Q10 helps people with familial cerebellar ataxia, a hereditary disorder that damages the spine and the part of the brain responsible for coordination.
- Tech
Novel fuel cell gets hot, but not by a lot
A new type of fuel cell that works above the boiling point of water—but not too much above it—may lead to improved nonpolluting power sources suitable for cars and portable electronic gadgets.
- Anthropology
Human ancestors made ancient entry to Java
Layers of hardened volcanic ash on the Indonesian island of Java have yielded evidence that Homo erectus reached eastern Asia by 1.5 million years ago and remained there until about 1 million years ago.
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The early nerve gets the brain space
Sensory nerves of the star-nosed mole may race to occupy brain space early in development.
