Uncategorized
- Plants
Crop genes diffuse in seedy ways
A study of sugar beets in France suggests that genes may escape to wild relatives through seeds accidentally transported by humans rather than through drifting pollen.
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Let there be light
Ultraviolet light may have favored, not hindered, the creation of RNA on early Earth.
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U.S. survey probes depression care
More than half of all people with major depression now seek treatment for the disorder, but only 1 in 5 depressed people receives what psychiatrists consider to be adequate medication and psychotherapy.
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19330
With the facts as given in this article, the birds spent about 7 percent of their time flying and 93 percent not flying. At the energy rates given, I get that 25 percent of the energy used was spent during the 7 percent of time the birds were flying. The article appeared to state that […]
- Animals
Flight burns less fuel than stopovers
The first measurements of energy use in migrating songbirds confirms that birds burn more energy during stopovers along the way than during their total flying time.
- Humans
From the July 8, 1933, issue
THE NYMPHS’ FLOWER Serene, cool, immaculate, the water lily floats beneath the summer sun, where the big flat drops of water shine like silver coins on the round, flat leaves. The water lily has been the delight of poets of all ages and peoples. Of moralists, too, who like to reflect that all that superb […]
- Astronomy
Strange Matter
What’s materials science? This engaging Web site for kids of all ages introduces “the study of stuff.” It describes how materials fit into different categories and provides accounts of what materials scientists do. Games and activities require a browser with a Flash plug-in. Go to: http://www.strangematterexhibit.com/
- Life
All the World’s a Phage
There are an amazing number of bacteriophages—viruses that kill bacteria—in the world.
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19261
This article raised so many questions. Do children who play in the dirt get their increased immune resistance from phages in the dirt? Is there a phage connection in the AIDS story? Does the risk of dying of heart attacks have a phage connection? If so, is group A Streptococcus involved? Do we need a […]
- Humans
Udder Beauty
Sophisticated screening of livestock championship winners may become as common as urine tests of Olympic athletes.
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19036
Regarding the article on udder tampering in livestock competitions, it’s sad that the push for easy success is so pervasive. Although colleges and universities receiving federal research funds must require research-ethics education of their students, I don’t see an impact on plagiarism. How might we encourage future generations of students in all disciplines to internalize […]
- Math
Alphamagic Squares
Magic squares have fascinated people for thousands of years. They consist of a set of whole numbers arranged in a square so that the sum of the numbers is the same in each row, in each column, and along each diagonal. Some magic squares have special properties, such as using only consecutive numbers. In ancient […]
