News
- Earth
Stunting Growth: Ozone will trim plants’ carbon-storing power
Increasing ground-level ozone due to pollution will stifle the growth of vegetation in many regions, accelerating the buildup of planet-warming carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
- Health & Medicine
Good Light: Sun early in life could protect against MS
Childhood exposure to direct sunshine may protect people against developing multiple sclerosis later.
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Weighting for Friends: Obesity spreads in social networks
Obesity spreads as a social contagion through networks of friends and relatives, apparently because associating with overweight people encourages a laxer attitude toward weight gain.
- Humans
Universities seek armchair astronomers
Scientists are recruiting online help from the public to classify the shapes of 1 million galaxies in never-before-viewed photographs.
- Health & Medicine
Perception is longevity
Mice lived longer when they were fooled into sensing lower insulin levels than they actually had.
- Planetary Science
Saturn’s retinue: 60 and counting
A little moon, two kilometers across, is Saturn's 60th satellite.
- Earth
Erosion accelerates along Alaskan coast
Alaska's northern coast is falling into the sea at an accelerating rate.
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Old viruses have new tricks
Invading viruses can trick a cell into turning off its defense mechanisms.
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Antidepressants trim suicide tries
Treating depression with antidepressant drugs reduces the risk of suicide.
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Chemical Conversation: Red blood cells send a signal that makes platelets less sticky
Red blood cells can send a chemical signal that makes platelets less sticky, easing blood flow through narrow vessels.
- Health & Medicine
Brain Seasoning: A common spice could deter Alzheimer’s
A compound in the curry spice turmeric restores the ability of immune system cells to destroy plaques linked to Alzheimer's disease.
- Animals
Den Mothers: Bears shift dens as ice deteriorates
As Arctic ice has dwindled, pregnant polar bears in northern Alaska have become more likely to dig their birthing dens on land or nearshore ice than on floating masses of sea ice.
