News
- Health & Medicine
Lavender Revolution: Plant essences linked to enlarged breasts in boys
Two natural ingredients in many hair- and skin-care products act like a female sex hormone and can cause abnormal breast development in boys.
- Chemistry
Sweet Synthesis: Fructose product could replace chemicals from oil
A new study describes the efficient use of fructose toward making a renewable building block for many useful chemicals.
- Astronomy
Planet-making disk has a banana split
Two banana-shaped arcs of gas and dust face each other within a newly discovered planet-forming disk that surrounds a young, nearby star.
- Health & Medicine
Measuring Stick: Spinal tap test tracks Alzheimer’s compound
A new test is the first to measure production and clearance of amyloid-beta in the cerebrospinal fluid of people, enabling scientists to track this Alzheimer's disease peptide.
-
Getting Back at Celiac: Enzyme treatment might stem wheat intolerance
A combination of two enzymes could eventually treat celiac disease, an inherited digestive disorder.
- Tech
Hot Prospect: Simple burner keeps pollution counts down
A new type of combustion chamber reduces pollution with less complexity and a safer, more reliable design.
- Paleontology
Sight for ‘Saur Eyes: T. rex vision was among nature’s best
A study of dinosaur eyes finds that Tyrannosaurus rex had very sophisticated vision that may have helped its predatory abilities.
-
Gay Males’ Sibling Link: Men’s homosexuality tied to having older brothers
Birth order may steer some men toward homosexuality in a process that perhaps begins before birth.
- Tech
Blinding spies’ digital eyes
To prevent unauthorized picture taking, an automated antispy system spots digital cameras and zaps them with confounding flashes of light.
- Materials Science
Seeing the light
Researchers have developed a smart petri dish that signals cell death with intense light.
-
Mammalian ear cells can regenerate
The cells responsible for hearing in mammals may be capable of regeneration, just as those of birds and other vertebrates are.
- Tech
Humanlike touch from chemical film
A nanoparticle-laden, pressure-detecting membrane feels textures with about the same sensitivity as human skin.
