News
- Humans
Autism care takes biological toll on mothers
Caring for teens and young adults with autism not only creates intense psychological pressure on mothers but may promote sharply decreased production of a crucial stress hormone, a long-term study suggests.
By Bruce Bower - Ecosystems
From sea to squid, thanks to slime
Scientists have revealed new details about the genes — and the goo — that enable luminescent bacteria to colonize their symbiotic marine partner.
- Chemistry
Protein caught in the act
Researchers have developed a new way to see where the molecules are active.
- Earth
Unexplained atmospheric chemistry detected
A field study in China reveals an unusually high and unexplained production of hydroxyl radicals.
By Sid Perkins - Life
Huntington’s protein may have a crony
The mutant protein implicated in Huntington’s may rely on a second protein. The finding could help explain why only some neurons are vulnerable to the disease.
- Life
Tickling apes reveals laughter’s origins
Roots of laughter go back at least 10 to 16 million years, study of romping apes suggests.
By Susan Milius - Physics
Mechanical systems all tangled up
Researchers link the motion of two ion pairs through “spooky action at a distance.”
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Alpine Antarctica, before the ice
A new survey may have unveiled the birthplace of the world’s largest ice sheet.
By Sid Perkins - Health & Medicine
Nicotine’s role in SIDS
New study in rats explains how smoke exposure may increase risk of sudden infant death syndrome.
- Life
No rest for weary fruit flies
Fruit flies with insomnia may help researchers track genetic factors that lead to the sleep disorder.
- Climate
Cultivation changed monsoon in Asia
The loss of forests in India, China during the 1700s led to a decline in monsoon precipitation.
By Sid Perkins - Space
Astrometry nabs an exoplanet
long-proposed method of searching for extrasolar planets has finally discovered one — a body six times heavier than Jupiter that orbits a dwarf star 20 light-years from Earth.
By Ron Cowen