Uncategorized
- Astronomy
Supernova Outbreak: X rays signal earliest alert
Thanks to a lucky break and an overactive galaxy, astronomers report the earliest detection yet of a normal supernova—the explosive death of a massive star.
- Humans
From the March 5, 1938, issue
Shoes that give silent testimony for safety measures, ten moons and counting for Saturn, and finding oil in impossible places.
- Humans
One-Stop Shopping for Every Species
On Feb. 26, the Encyclopedia of Life went live. This site hopes to become the definitive place to find information on every living species—millions and millions of them. The first extensive sets of entries will include fish and members of the potato and tomato families. But more species will be added all the time—offering basic […]
- Earth
Ocean ups and downs—the long view
Sea level has dropped about 170 meters in the past 80 million years, thanks in part to the thinning of ocean crust and the formation of land-based ice sheets.
- Health & Medicine
A Way Forward: Releasing the brakes on cancer vaccines
A new way to overcome tumors' defenses against the immune system marks an important step toward effective cancer vaccines.
- Astronomy
Web Special: Supernova Outbreak—X rays signal earliest alert
MARCH 5 — Thanks to a lucky break and an overactive galaxy, astronomers report the earliest detection yet of a normal supernova—the explosive death of a massive star. Advance article from March 8 issue.
- Plants
Promiscuous orchids
When pollinators aren't loyal to a single species of orchid, the plants maintain their species integrity by stymieing reproduction.
- Physics
Black Hole of Light: Laser pulses create model of event horizon
Physicists have created the optical analog of a black hole's surface of no return, a setup that could help test whether actual black holes glow.
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Regarding this article: A black hole is in a geometrical sense an end to the universe. If we picture the universe using Euclidean geometry, we can imagine going straight out forever. As we approach a black hole, the huge mass changes the geometry so that we also go on forever reaching the surface. We cannot […]
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Aging Factor: Gene mutations may be key to long life
Some centenarians carry mutations in a pathway associated with longevity in worms and fruit flies.
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Riff Riders: Brain scans tune in to jazz improvisers
Accomplished jazz pianists are able to improvise musical passages thanks in part to a set of reactions at the front of the brain that free self-expression from conscious monitoring and self-censorship.
- Earth
Ancient Chasm: Parts of Grand Canyon may be 17 million years old
The chemical composition of mineral formations in caves along the Grand Canyon may provide fresh insight into the chasm's history, including its age and the rate at which it was carved.
