Uncategorized
- Animals
Long Horns Win: Selection in action—Attacks favor spike length for lizards
A hunting bird's quirk—a tendency to impale prey on thorns—leaves a record that has allowed scientists to catch a glimpse of an evolutionary force in action.
-
Devil’s Lapdog Gets Its Due: The lab rat bares its DNA to biologists
Scientists announced that they have deciphered the full DNA sequence of the standard lab rat, setting the stage for a new flurry of biomedical research on this rodent and providing insight into mammalian evolution.
-
19401
It should have come as no surprise that the rat’s DNA had “changed much more than the human genome had since the two species diverged from a common ancestor” considering how many more breeding cycles the rat has experienced since that time. Joe HaltonAnacortes, Wash. The shorter generation time of rodents can’t by itself explain […]
- Materials Science
Tiny Trouble: Nanoscale materials damage fish brains
Although nanomaterials could one day lead to more powerful electronics and better medicines, new research shows these tiny materials can also be toxic to fish.
- Math
Riding on Square Wheels
A square wheel can roll smoothly if it travels over a roadway of the right geometric shape.
- Earth
Night space images show development
Scientists may have come up with a way to use satellite images taken at night to estimate the rate of population growth in fire-prone areas and thereby better assess fire risk to specific groups of residents.
- Archaeology
Laser scanners map rock art
Researchers have developed a way to use laser-based surveying equipment to quickly and easily create detailed images of ancient rock art.
-
19400
Using laser technology that has an apparent resolution of only about half a centimeter is somewhat laughable. I also wondered whether the “fresh coat of desert varnish” was an April fool joke. Actually, I really look forward to every new issue. You do a great job. Fred DombroseCharlotte, N.C. For images that weren’t three-dimensional, the […]
- Humans
Medieval cure-all may actually have spread disease
Powdered mummies, one of medieval Europe's most popular concoctions for treating disease, might instead have been an agent of widespread germ transmission, new research suggests.
-
19399
Again, humans are implicated in the promotion and distribution of our own misery. However, if bitumen was wrongly credited with darkening the skin of mummified remains, what caused it? Robert FizekNewton, Mass. The coating on the mummies was actually a rub made up of oils, spices, salts, and tree resins. These substances, particularly the resins, […]
-
Suppressed thoughts rebound in dreams
Thoughts that are consciously suppressed during the day often pop up in dreams, regardless of whether they involve emotionally charged desires, a new study suggests.
- Earth
New U.N. treaty on toxic exports
The United Nations enacted a new treaty to ban exportation of any of a list of toxic chemicals without the prior informed consent of an importing nation.
