News
- Earth
Oldest feathered dino shows its colors
Analysis of a fossil suggests plumage first evolved for display, not flight.
By Sid Perkins - Earth
Florida’s big chill may have hammered corals near shore
January cold snap caused rare wintertime coral bleaching and die-offs for Florida’s coral reefs.
By Susan Milius - Physics
Algae use quantum trick to harvest light
A new study finds that proteins used in photosynthesis take advantage of electrons’ wavelike properties
- Computing
Leaf veins loopy for a reason
A computer simulation finds that leaves' circular networks are efficient at getting around damaged spots and varying distribution load.
- Health & Medicine
Small study hints SSRIs delay breast milk in new moms
Women taking the antidepressant drugs began lactating later.
By Nathan Seppa - Space
Ancient dawn’s early light refines age of universe
Satellite images reveal new aspects of Big Bang’s relic radiation.
By Ron Cowen - Science & Society
A modest proposal for federal science spending
President’s proposed FY 2011 budget outlines 5.9 percent increase in nondefense-related research and development funding.
By Science News - Life
Skin cells transformed directly into neurons
Researchers making neurons bypass the need to revert cells to an embryonic state.
- Life
Keeping black bears wild
Wildlife managers compare ways to keep bears away from food and people.
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- Archaeology
Skeleton of Western man found in ancient Mongolian tomb
A genetic analysis of a skeleton from an ancient Asian tomb illuminates the spread of Indo-Europeans.
By Bruce Bower - Life
Carried aloft, tiny creatures avoid parasites, sex
Dry and blowing in the breeze, rotifers are safe from a deadly fungus — and perhaps from the vulnerabilities presumed to accompany asexual reproduction.