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After West Nile Virus
As biologists try to estimate the impact of West Nile virus on wildlife, it's not the famously susceptible crows that are causing alarm but much rarer species.
By Susan Milius - Earth
When do EMFs disturb the heart?
Whether electromagnetic fields can blunt the healthy variability in heart rate may depend on an exposed individual being aroused or stressed during exposure.
By Janet Raloff - Earth
Methylmercury’s toxic toll
More than 60,000 children are born each year with neurodevelopmental impairments due to their prenatal exposure to methylmercury.
By Janet Raloff - Earth
China: A mercury megapolluter
China's heavy reliance on coal burning makes it a world leader in mercury air pollution.
By Janet Raloff - Earth
Living routes to toxic routs
Scientists are developing novel techniques for removing perchlorate, a potentially carcinogenic pollutant, from water.
By Janet Raloff -
When autism aids memory
People with autism may often have a superior memory for factual details, possibly because of their inability to use context in remembering information.
By Bruce Bower -
Looking for the brain’s g force
Controversial evidence suggests that a frontal-brain network underlies psychological measures of general intelligence.
By Bruce Bower - Astronomy
X-ray flare from a dim source
An X-ray flare coming from a old, failed star has surprised astronomers.
By Ron Cowen - Computing
Pictures Only a Computer Could Love
New, unconventional lenses shape scenes into pictures for computers, not people, so that computer-equipped microscopes, cameras, and other optical devices can see more with less.
By Peter Weiss - Astronomy
A comet’s chilly origin
Astronomers have detected argon in comet Hale-Bopp, the first time an inert gas has been found in one of these icy bodies and an indication that the comet formed in the frigid outer solar system between the orbits of Uranus and Neptune.
By Ron Cowen - Humans
When Biologists Get Bombed
Or shot at by soldiers. This isn't textbook conservation science.
By Susan Milius - Math
Crediting Basketball’s Three-Pointers
The adoption of the three-point field goal in basketball changed the game. Initially, its impact was limited, but in recent years, shooting three-point baskets has had a significant effect on game strategy and outcome. Many sports fans can’t resist the lure of quantifying performance–ranking teams, rating players, and keeping various statistics. Now, statistician Thomas P. […]