News
- Earth
Mercury pollution settles in hot spots
Certain areas of North America are particularly susceptible to environmental accumulation of mercury.
- Chemistry
Switch Hitters: Antibacterial compounds target new mechanism to kill microbes
Recently discovered ribonucleic acid segments, called riboswitches, may become prime targets for new antibacterial drugs.
- Materials Science
Electrode Enhancements: New materials may boost fuel cell performance
Two teams have independently discovered ways to dramatically improve the materials used in the electrodes of fuel cells.
- Plants
Biggest Bloom: Superflower changes branch on family tree
The plants with the world's largest flowers, the rafflesias, need to be moved closer to poinsettias on the family tree of plant life.
- Health & Medicine
No Fluke: New weapon against tropical parasite
An experimental drug shows potential against schistosomiasis.
- Ecosystems
Alien Alert: Shrimpy invader raises big concerns
A shrimplike European invader just discovered in the Great Lakes could prove ecologically disruptive to populations of native lake animals.
- Astronomy
Fleet Finding: Speed of Milky Way’s companions poses puzzle
New measurements of the speed of two familiar companion galaxies to the Milky Way suggest some unfamiliar possibilities.
- Health & Medicine
Folic Acid Dilemma: One vitamin may impair cognition if another is lacking
The nutrient folic acid is generally good for brain health, but research now suggests that too much of it might harm people who get too little vitamin B12.
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Genes discovered for sensing carbon dioxide
Researchers have tracked down a pair of genes that, together, seem responsible for some insects' ability to sense carbon dioxide.
- Humans
Congress upgrades fisheries protection
Congress has reauthorized and strengthened a 30-year-old federal law governing fishing and ocean management.
- Agriculture
Big footprints
Livestock production carries surprisingly high, and largely hidden, environmental costs.
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Stem cells float in amniotic fluid
Scientists have discovered a new type of stem cell in the fluid that bathes fetuses in the womb.
