News

Humans

Obama unveils brain science program

Initiative would develop tools to measure coordinated neuron activity.

Tech

Biological transistor built for living computers

DNA-based switches could be used in diagnosis and treatment of diseases.

Life

Eye drops reduce signs of macular degeneration in mice

Targeting cholesterol in retina stops rogue blood vessel growth often seen in the vision disease.

Psychology

Babies’ flexible squeals may enable them to talk later

Language evolution might have fed off infants’ ability to use certain sounds to express various emotions.

Earth

In Antarctica, melting may beget ice

Disintegration of floating glaciers could be responsible for freezing of seawater.

Physics

Sound cloaks enter the third dimension

Concept could lead to sonar-defeating submarines or noise-cancelling highway barriers.

Earth

Fungi pull carbon into northern forest soils

Organisms living on tree roots do the lion’s share of sequestering carbon.

Earth

Kansas was unbearably hot 270 million years ago

Temperatures soared to nearly 74 degrees Celsius, which no plants or animals could endure.

Health & Medicine

Hepatitis C drug goes after patients’ RNA

An experimental medicine that targets a type of RNA in the liver leads to reduced virus levels in patients.

Life

Blind cave-dwelling fish also hard of hearing

Two species that live in the dark have worse hearing than do their surface-living cousins.

Life

Gut microbes may be behind weight loss after gastric bypass

Mice slim down after receiving bacteria transplanted from rodents that had the surgery.

Psychology

Competition brings out autism’s social side

Given motivation, kids with autism can appreciate what other people think and believe.