News
- Genetics
Debate rages over mouse studies’ relevance to humans
Last year, researchers said rodents are not good mimics of human inflammation; a new study says the reverse.
- Astronomy
Gamma rays streaming from stellar explosions stump astronomers
The Fermi satellite detected gamma rays coming from an unexpected source — and astronomers don’t understand what made that possible.
- Health & Medicine
Mummies reveal hardened arteries
Mummy studies suggest heart disease is an ancient malady, not just the product of modern diets and sedentary lifestyles.
- Animals
Nematode sperm go rogue
Worm sperm a killer when nematode species crossbreed.
By Susan Milius - Neuroscience
Part of brain’s pleasure network curbed in mice with chronic pain
Part of brain’s pleasure network is muffled in mice with chronic paw injuries, a new study finds.
- Health & Medicine
Resistance to key malaria drug spreads
Parasites that are less susceptible to artemisinin now affect several Asian countries.
By Nathan Seppa - Paleontology
Dinosaurs shrank continually into birds
Steady miniaturization and rapidly changing skeletons transformed massive animals into today’s fliers.
By Meghan Rosen - Astronomy
When looking for aliens, try finding their pollution
Future telescopes may discover civilized aliens by detecting the industrial pollutants called fluorinated gases in exoplanet atmospheres.
- Quantum Physics
Birds’ turns match math of quantum matter
Equations that describe superfluidity may explain how information about which way and when to turn spreads in a starling flock.
- Earth
Early life probably fell victim to massive space rocks
Planet-sterilizing impacts probably snuffed out early life on Earth until around 4.3 billion years ago.
- Quantum Physics
Quantum Cheshire Cat experiment splits particles from their properties
When facing a fork in the road, neutrons appear to go in one direction and their spins in the other.
By Andrew Grant - Life
For yeast life span, calorie restriction may be a wash
A new technique for growing and tracking yeast cells finds caloric restriction doesn’t lengthen life span, though some researchers question the study method.