News
- Anthropology
Human ancestors had taste for termites
Incisions on ancient bone implements found in South Africa indicate that human ancestors gathered termites, a protein-rich food source, more than 1 million years ago.
- Tech
Technique puts more data into airwaves
A new approach that exploits the orientations of the electric and magnetic fields in radio waves may increase data flows to and from cell phones and other wireless devices by up to a factor of six.
- Math
Scheduled random walks skirt collisions
Researchers in theoretical computer science have made progress in settling the question of whether a clairvoyant scheduler can regulate the timing of moves by random walkers on a grid to keep them from ever colliding.
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Protein May Tie Obesity to Diabetes
A newly discovered protein secreted by fat cells could be the link between obesity and type II diabetes.
- Earth
Amazon basin is wetter now than in past
Sediments from the Atlantic Ocean indicate that the now lush Amazon Basin was much drier during the latest ice age.
- Earth
Explorers pinpoint source of the Amazon
A five-nation team of explorers has used Global Positioning System equipment to confirm that the source of the Amazon is a snowmelt-fed stream high in the Peruvian Andes.
- Chemistry
For a better smile, have some wasabi
Chemicals in the Japanese condiment wasabi could help prevent tooth decay.
- Chemistry
Where the tire meets the conveyor belt
A new, noninvasive technique could detect an impending failure in a rubber tire or conveyor belt.
- Health & Medicine
Cocaine link to heart attack bolstered
Regular cocaine use may account for one-fourth of nonfatal heart attacks in people under age 45.
- Health & Medicine
Gene mutation can spur autoimmunity
A mutation of a gene on the X chromosome can lead to a dangerous autoimmune disorder and type I diabetes.
- Astronomy
A Jovian moon lost and found
After 25 years, astronomers have relocated a tiny satellite of Jupiter.
- Astronomy
A trio of new planets
With the discovery of three additional planets that lie outside the solar system, astronomers have now found evidence of more than 50 extrasolar planets.
