Uncategorized
- Life
No sleep, no problem, but keep the grub coming
A naturally occurring strain of fruit fly can thrive without slumber, but succumbs more quickly to starvation.
- Humans
Predatory pythons shift Everglades ecology
As invasive snakes expand territory, some mammal populations drop by more than 90 percent within a decade.
- Life
Long-lived people distinguished by DNA
A controversial study finds genetic signatures that may be able to identify people with the best chance of living to 100 or beyond.
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- Psychology
Fighting willpower’s catch-22
Avoiding daily temptations works better than using willpower, which has oddly unintended effects.
- Humans
Catching a mood on Facebook
Happiness and other feelings filter among online friends through their brief posts.
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Plant something new
Better produce and protecting food staples at the USDA.
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Letters
Finding parasitic behavior Two adjacent stories, both by Tina Hesman Saey, at first glance may appear to be unrelated but in actuality show examples of a well-known phenomenon: parasites adversely affecting the behavior of the host so that the parasite can get to its next victim. The article “Belly bacteria can boss the brain” (SN: […]
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SN Online
SCIENCE & THE PUBLIC BLOGImported primate meat hosts potentially dangerous viruses. See “Bush meat can be a viral feast.” LIFE A snake senses prey’s last heartbeats. See “Boas take pulse as they snuff it out.” ATOM & COSMOS A simulation hints at why space is 3-D. Read “String theorists squeeze nine dimensions into three.” BODY […]
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Science Future for February 11, 2012
February 23 As part of National Engineers Week, talk to a child or group for Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day. Find resources at bit.ly/zXAZVP March 1 Last day to submit entries to the 2012 Kavli “Save the World Through Science & Engineering” video contest for grades 6–12. See bit.ly/w3iCjM
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Science Past from the issue of February 10, 1962
EFFECT OF WEIGHTLESSNESS — Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr.’s experience in weightlessness during his coming orbital flight will not be long enough to cause him any undue stress such as that suffered by Cosmonaut Titov, a U.S. Air Force expert reported. “Experiments by the Russians with animals and men as well as our own experiments […]
