News
- Earth
Age of solar system needs a fresh look
Honed measurements show age overshot by amount significant to earliest stage of formation.
- Life
Cancer plaguing Tasmanian devils began in one animal’s nerve cells
Genetics provide a starting point for diagnosis and potential vaccines.
- Climate
Warming has already boosted insect breeding
Museum records, publications suggest extra generations at same time as temperature increases
By Susan Milius - Earth
Tides in Earth’s crust trigger small, deep quakes
Study of one portion of the San Andreas fault finds that just a little added stress from crustal tides makes a quake more likely.
By Sid Perkins - Space
Stay tuned: New star coming in 1 million years
Radio observations of a dark, dusty cloud in a nearby star-forming region have revealed one of the earliest phases of star formation and may reveal new insights on starbirth.
By Ron Cowen - Life
Sexual conflict takes shape in ducks
Up-close view of male ducks reveals extreme speed and extreme conflict.
By Susan Milius - Health & Medicine
Texting and driving don’t mix, just as suspected
Sending or receiving messages proves even worse than cell phone calls for young adults on simulators.
By Nathan Seppa - Life
Lupus not identical in twins
Differences in DNA methylation may account for why one sibling gets the autoimmune disease while the other stays healthy.
- Life
Groovy teeth suggest dinosaur was venomous
Fossils show depression in upper jaw that held venom-producing glands.
By Sid Perkins - Space
Herschel Space Observatory sees stars being born
A recently launched infrared observatory has discovered about 700 newly forming stars.
By Ron Cowen - Life
Do-it-yourself bed-bug detector
With bed-bug numbers on the rise in North America, researchers test homemade bug finders.
By Susan Milius - Health & Medicine
Darker liquor, never sicker
People report feeling worse the next morning after drinking bourbon than after drinking vodka.