News
- Physics
Nanobots walk ‘n’ roll
A molecule that waddles on stubby feet and another that drives on ball-like wheels demonstrate scientists' increasing control over the usually haphazard motion of molecules on surfaces.
- Paleontology
Some plesiosaurs went for clams
The fossils of plesiosaurs recently unearthed in Australia suggest that the long-necked, aquatic reptiles had a more varied diet than scientists had previously suspected.
- Materials Science
Brainy bandages
Researchers have taken a step toward smart bandages that would indicate the presence of an infection in a wound.
- Planetary Science
Mining the moon
New ultraviolet images of the moon help identify the presence of ilmenite, a titanium oxide whose elemental constituents may be a valuable resource for sustaining humans as they explore the lunar surface.
- Materials Science
Slim and Sturdy Solar Cells: Nanocrystals offer path to electricity
Researchers have crafted an ultrathin solar cell out of inorganic nanocrystals that have several of the advantages of plastic but avoid some of its shortcomings.
- Animals
Great Galloping Crinoids: Lilylike sea animal takes a brisk walk
A sea creature called a stalked crinoid may look as motionless as a flower on a stem but a video has revealed it practically jogging across the ocean floor. Video.
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Early Stress in Rats Bites Memory Later On: Inadequate care to young animals delivers delayed hit to the brain
The stress of receiving poor maternal care for a short period after birth comes back to haunt rats by stimulating memory losses and related brain disturbances in middle age.
- Health & Medicine
Weight-Loss Costs: A critical look at gastric surgery
Obese people who opt for weight-loss surgery incur increased odds of subsequent hospitalization and, in some groups, a substantial risk of death.
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Macho Makeover: Fish rapidly ascend social ladder
Some male fish can upgrade their social status, and their appearance, in a matter of minutes.
- Tech
Bionic Bacteria: Gold nanoparticles make gadgets of living microbes
Researchers have created an electromechanical device out of living microbes.
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Do No Harm: Stem cells created without destroying healthy embryos
Scientists have devised ways to isolate embryonic stem cells from mice without destroying viable embryos.
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Exposure to seawater proves deadly
Vibrio bacteria, carried in seawater, have caused a spate of infections in people along the U.S. Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
