News
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ChemistryCockroach brains, coming to a pharmacy near you
Insect tissue extracts show antibacterial activity in lab experiments.
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Health & MedicineDefining normal in the brain
A new growth curve paves way for scans to be used to spot early signs of autism, schizophrenia or other disorders.
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SpaceMars shows signs of recent activity
The surface of Mars had abundant liquid water as well as volcanic activity during the past 100 million years, a new study of the Martian atmosphere suggests.
By Ron Cowen -
Health & MedicineA cellular secret to long life
Longevity may depend in part on histones, proteins that keep DNA neatly spooled in the cell’s nucleus and help regulate gene activity.
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Health & MedicineMutated gene cited in some ovarian cancers
The finding may help researchers devise a way to screen women with endometriosis for cancer risk.
By Nathan Seppa -
PaleontologyThe hunchback of central Spain
An exquisitely preserved dinosaur from central Spain has a hump on its back and suggestions of featherlike appendages on its arms. The primitive carnivore lived about 125 million years ago and may push back the first known instance of feathers on the dinosaur family tree.
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AstronomyMars organics get new lease on life
More than three decades after the Viking mission failed to find compounds necessary for carbon-based life, a new analysis suggests they could actually be present at detectable levels in the planet’s soil.
By Ron Cowen -
EarthWhat lies beneath
Studies of geology, soils and agricultural demand may prove useful in forecasting the climate effects of deforestation.
By Janet Raloff -
EarthNot in this toad’s backyard
Yellow crazy ants meet a hungry obstacle as they spread into cacao plantations.
By Susan Milius -
Health & MedicineStudy clarifies obesity-infertility link
In female mice, high insulin levels cause a disruptive flood of fertility hormones.
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ChemistryLight-harvesting complexes do it themselves
A new technique could yield solar cells with no repair or assembly required.
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SpaceChanging one of nature’s constants
A controversial new study suggests that an immutable value that governs the strength of the electromagnetic force varies along different directions.
By Ron Cowen