News
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EarthQuantum physics explains core anomaly
Scientists have used the principles of quantum physics to answer the long-standing puzzle of why seismic waves travel at different speeds in different directions across Earth's inner core.
By Sid Perkins -
EarthHimalayas may be due for big temblors
Scientists say that a narrow region that rims the southern edge of the Tibetan Plateau could be the spawning grounds for large earthquakes that could threaten millions in southern Asia in the decades to come.
By Sid Perkins -
ArchaeologyAncestors who came in from the cold
Researchers found the remains of a 36,000-year-old human occupation in the Russian Arctic, which represents the earliest evidence of a human presence that far north.
By Bruce Bower -
ArchaeologyNeandertals used tools with versatility
Microscopic data from artifacts found at two Ukrainian sites indicate that Neandertals used stone tools in flexible ways that allowed them to maintain a broad diet for nearly 50,000 years.
By Bruce Bower -
EarthDusty workplace may cause change of heart
Occupational exposure to fine dust can trigger adverse changes in the hearts of even strong, healthy workers.
By Janet Raloff -
Health & MedicineTwo drugs may enhance recovery from stroke
Two drugs, levodopa and dextroamphetamine, may help stroke patients to recover the ability to move and speak.
By Nathan Seppa -
EcosystemsFierce invader steals nests from a native fish
The round goby, a Eurasian fish that has invaded the Great Lakes, is causing the decline of the mottled sculpin by displacing the native from its spawning sites.
By Ben Harder -
Materials ScienceMaterials use nitric oxide to kill bacteria
A novel coating may offer a new way to fend off microbial buildup on catheters, artificial hips, and replacement cardiac valves.
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Materials ScienceSpeed demon gets hooked on silicon
A method for coating silicon with high-performance semiconductors such as gallium arsenide may make faster, low-power microcircuits both cheaper and more widespread.
By Peter Weiss -
EarthBt Corn Risk to Monarchs Is ‘Negligible’
A much-anticipated report states that the most commonly planted forms of genetically engineered Bt corn pose only a "negligible" risk to monarch butterfly populations.
By Susan Milius -
AnthropologyNeandertals show ancient signs of caring
A partial jaw unearthed in France indicates that Neandertals extensively cared for sick and infirm comrades beginning nearly 200,000 years ago.
By Bruce Bower -
EarthScientists spy sixth undersea-vent ecology
A new group of hydrothermal vents found in the Indian Ocean are populated by communities of organisms that differ significantly from other such groups of vent systems.
By Sid Perkins