Uncategorized
- 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. […]
- Agriculture
Detoxifying Desert’s Manna
Farmers need no longer fear the sweet pea's dryland cousin.
By Janet Raloff -
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The understanding that traditional wisdom calls for detoxifying these legumes coupled with the fact that they are eaten nonetheless is indeed sad. The work of the agricultural scientists in making this staple safe to eat is vital. There is evident need for help from social science to get safe food practices accepted in the population. […]
By Science News - Health & Medicine
Molecule may protect against kidney damage
People with a gene for the protein called apoE-IV are less likely to have the dangerous complication of kidney failure after a heart-bypass operation than are people who make other versions of the protein.
By Nathan Seppa - Materials Science
A new carbon nanotool springs to life
Physicists have pulled out the inside cylinders of multiwall carbon nanotubes, as if expanding a telescope, indicating how the devices may serve as tiny bearings and springs in future nanomachines.
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19308
This article contains a common misconception about the greenhouse effect. It states, “The newly detected gas is chemically similar to sulfur hexafluoride–another strong absorber of solar radiation . . .” (emphasis mine). While this statement may be true, it is irrelevant to the greenhouse efficiency of a gas. The mechanism of the greenhouse effect involves […]
By Science News - Earth
Newfound gas is greenhouse powerhouse
Scientists have detected in the atmosphere for the first time a gas that traps heat more effectively than any other previously found there.
By Sid Perkins - Astronomy
Telescope finds tiny moon of Jupiter
Astronomers reported the discovery of Jupiter's 17th known moon, the first Jovian moon discovered in 25 years and perhaps the tiniest known satellite of any planet.
By Ron Cowen -
Mom, is that you? Seals show family recall
Researchers found that northern fur seal mothers and offspring in Alaska remember and respond to each other's calls for as long as 4 years, the first demonstration of such long-term recall in a mammal species other than humans.
By Ruth Bennett -
Study of stimulant therapy raises concerns
A community survey in North Carolina indicates that many children receiving stimulant treatment don't have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
By Bruce Bower - Physics
Matter’s Missing Piece Shows Up
The first direct evidence of the tau neutrino, the last of the 12 subatomic particles considered the fundamental building blocks of matter, has finally been found.
By Peter Weiss