Uncategorized
- Psychology
Undecided voters not so undecided
A measure of unconscious attitudes predicts the opinions that undecided people eventually reach on a controversial issue.
By Bruce Bower - Earth
Deep sea viruses are an unexpected ringer
Deep-sea vent waters harbor high numbers virus-carrying bacteria. The viruses may actually help the bacteria survive the harsh vent environments.
- Life
Ground squirrels use ‘armpit effect’
Hibernating ground squirrels forget who’s who, so thank goodness for the armpit effect.
By Susan Milius - Health & Medicine
Ear infections make fatty food sound good
A history of middle ear infections could give people an affinity for fatty foods and leave them twice as likely to become obese.
- Space
Little middle ground for black holes
Black holes may not come in mid-sized versions. Astronomers expecting to find one in a galaxy cluster found a tiny black hole there instead.
- Earth
Carbon caveat
Adding carbon compounds to some ocean systems may lead to a counterintuitive drop in their overall carbon content — and how much carbon dioxide the ocean could store.
- Health & Medicine
Dopamine fends off zzzzz’s
A reward chemical in the brain helps keep sleep-deprived people awake.
- Physics
Short-lived particle questions long-lived theory
In sifting through the ashes of a short-lived subatomic particle called the kaon, physicists are slowly accumulating new hints that the theory of elementary particles might one day have to be modified.
By Ron Cowen - Chemistry
FBI reveals more details of anthrax investigation
A panel of scientists involved in the anthrax investigations released new details.
- Animals
I, Magpie
Some magpies recognize themselves in mirrors, indicating that a basic form of self-recognition evolved in one family of birds.
By Bruce Bower - Earth
Carcinogens from car exhaust can linger
Free radicals similar to those in cigarette smoke may form when car exhaust cools off, and may persist indefinitely in the air.
- Astronomy
Preserving digital data for the future of eScience
From the August 30, 2008 issue of Science News.
By Alex Szalay