Uncategorized

  1. Quantum Physics

    Ultrasmall engines bend second law of thermodynamics

    Car engines and batteries run because of the second law of thermodynamics, which appears to work, with just a little bending, for ultrasmall engines in the quantum realm as well.

    By Andrew Grant
  2. Climate

    Earlier blooming intensifies spring heat waves in Europe

    The early arrival of spring plants due to climate change amplifies springtime heat waves in Europe, new climate simulations suggest.

    By Thomas Sumner
  3. Health & Medicine

    ‘Cancer moonshot’ launch prep under way

    Details are trickling out for the president’s proposed “cancer moonshot,” but plan for launch is still months off.

    By Laura Beil
  4. Climate

    Hurricane frequency dropped during 17th century ‘Little Ice Age’

    Atlantic hurricane activity fell around 75 percent when the sun dimmed from 1645 to 1715, a new analysis of shipwrecks and tree rings suggests.

    By Thomas Sumner
  5. Planetary Science

    Mercury’s dark secret revealed

    Graphite from Mercury’s primordial crust might be responsible for making the innermost planet darker than the moon.

    By Christopher Crockett
  6. Animals

    Eat your stinkbugs

    Prepared as a snack by some groups in southern Africa, the stinkbug Encosternum delegorguei is a good source of protein and antioxidants.

    By Sarah Schwartz
  7. Paleontology

    Free virtual fossils for everyone

    MorphoSource.org archives 3-D images of bones from over 200 genera of both living and extinct animals.

    By Erin Wayman
  8. Health & Medicine

    Mind’s healing powers put to the test in new book

    Cure: A Journey Into the Science of Mind Over Body investigates the brain’s role in keeping people healthy.

    By Laura Sanders
  9. Science & Society

    Historian puts new spin on scientific revolution

    The Invention of Science offers readers an unconventional perspective on the origins of modern science.

    By Tom Siegfried
  10. Paleontology

    Lizards locked in amber provide clues to reptile evolution

    Amber-encased lizard remains that date to 99 million years ago may shed light on the evolution of geckos and chameleons.

    By Sarah Schwartz
  11. Health & Medicine

    Microcephaly: Building a case against Zika

    Zika virus is the prime suspect for Brazil’s recent surge in birth defects. New evidence in human cells strengthens the case, but more definitive proof could come this summer from Colombia, where thousands of pregnant women have been infected.

    By Meghan Rosen
  12. Animals

    Is Amy Tan actually ‘thrilled’ a leech is named after her?

    Novelist Amy Tan answers a lingering question about celebrities honored in scientific names of new species — her namesake is a leech.

    By Susan Milius