Uncategorized
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Single gene turns flu deadly
Variations in a single gene may have dramatically increased the virulence of 1918 Spanish flu.
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ChemistryBranching polymer could heal cataract wounds
Cataract surgery might get a little easier, thanks to a transparent gel that seals surgical incisions in the eye better than standard sutures do.
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AnthropologyChimps show skill in termite fishing
Video cameras set up in a central-African forest have recorded the sophisticated ways in which local chimpanzees catch termites for eating.
By Bruce Bower -
Materials ScienceReversible gel restores artwork
To help conservationists restore paintings to their original glory without damaging the original paint, chemists have developed a cleaning product that switches from a liquid to a gel.
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Health & MedicineCreepy-Crawly Care
Encouraging results from research on medical uses for maggots and leeches, coupled with recent government approval of both therapies, lend credibility to the idea that some live organisms deserve a place in the medical armamentarium.
By Ben Harder -
Reworking Intuition
Financially endangered companies rapidly reorganized to become profitable after key staff members ran simulated companies in 2-day sessions organized by a San Diego psychologist.
By Bruce Bower -
HumansLetters from the October 16, 2004, issue of Science News
Hubble grumble The cover type “Farewell to Hubble?” (“End of the Line for Hubble?” SN: 7/24/04, p. 56: End of the Line for Hubble?) makes me wonder why we haven’t seen the headline “Farewell to the Current NASA Administrator?” The only reason I have heard for the cancellation of the planned servicing mission is “it’s […]
By Science News -
HumansFrom the October 13, 1934, issue
A wingless rooster, production of artificial radioactive elements, and novae proposed as the origin of cosmic rays.
By Science News -
AnimalsBird Calls
The Macaulay Library at Cornell University has the largest collection of animal sounds in the world. More than 67 percent of the world’s birds are represented in the center’s 160,000 recordings, along with sounds made by insects, fish, frogs, and mammals. The Library also archives and preserves a sampling of the behaviors of different animal […]
By Science News -
Health & MedicineDormant Cancer: Lack of a protein sends tumor cells to bed
Excess amounts of a protein called Myc triggers cancer in mice, but ratcheting back this supply sends the malignant cells into dormancy.
By Nathan Seppa -
19472
Because the purpose of wind machines is to take energy out of the wind, it is counterintuitive to find the wind’s average velocity increases inside the wind farm. This is not what I learned in Aerodynamics I. Some clarification, please. John ToomayCarlsbad, Calif. Remember boundary layers. The wind speed at windmill level is higher than […]
By Science News -
EarthChange in the Weather? Wind farms might affect local climates
Large groups of power-generating windmills could increase wind speed, temperature, and ground-level evaporation, thereby influencing a region's climate.
By Sid Perkins