News
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HumansMotor City hosts top science fair winners
The 2000 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair winners were announced in Detroit.
By John Travis -
AstronomyGalaxies shine light on dark matter
Using a cosmic mirage known as gravitational lensing, astronomers have developed detailed maps of the distribution of dark matter, the invisible material believed to make up 90 percent of the mass of the universe.
By Ron Cowen -
AstronomyNew views of Jovian moons
The Galileo spacecraft has taken the highest-resolution images ever recorded of three of Jupiter's small, innermost moons.
By Ron Cowen -
Health & MedicineWaiting to exhale
A breath test that measures the activity of an enzyme involved in breaking down drugs in a person's body may help doctors minimize side effects from potent drugs such as docetaxel.
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Health & MedicineNervous tics in the heart
The irregular heartbeats sometimes triggered after a heart attack may be caused by abnormal nerve growth in heart tissue damaged by the attack.
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PhysicsElectron cycling in quantum confines
A lone electron zips around in the tightest circle allowed by quantum mechanics in an extraordinarily small, frigid cyclotron, potentially allowing scientists to nail down some fundamental constants of physics more precisely than ever before.
By Peter Weiss -
PhysicsLaser links segue to chemical bonds
Light can knit matter together until other bonds take over, providing a potentially useful approach to building nanometer-scale structures and materials.
By Peter Weiss -
PaleontologyFossils Hint at Who Left Africa First
Fossil skulls found in central Asia date to 1.7 million years ago and may represent the first ancestral human species to have left Africa.
By Bruce Bower -
EarthU.S. smog limit permits subtle lung damage
Ambient concentrations of smog ozone in many regions can cause lungs to leak, potentially compromising the health of even robust people.
By Janet Raloff -
AstronomyAstronomers find evidence of missing matter
Astronomers say they've likely confirmed that half of the hydrogen gas in the universe, which had not been accounted for, resides in relatively nearby reaches of intergalactic space.
By Ron Cowen -
Health & MedicineNew gene-therapy techniques show potential
Two technologies for transferring genes, one that uses mobile DNA called transposons and another that uses a weak virus, have proved successful in overcoming genetic disorders in mice.
By Nathan Seppa -
AnimalsFemale owls: First to advertise good genes
Swiss researchers find the first case of a female flashing ornaments that advertise her gene quality to choosy males.
By Susan Milius