Uncategorized
- Life
Cabbage circadian clocks tick even after picking
Daily cycles in vegetables help ward off hungry caterpillars.
- Humans
Aerial radar sizes up ancient urban sprawl
Angkor, the capital of Cambodia's Khmer empire, included carefully planned suburbs that spread across the landscape.
By Bruce Bower - Life
On the trail of a new virus
Map of MERS infection finds microbe spread through hospital dialysis units.
- Anthropology
Snails trace Stone Age trek from Iberia to Ireland
A genetic quirk linking snails in two distant areas suggests people brought escargot on their migration to the Emerald Isle.
- Health & Medicine
Ebola thwarted in mice by drugs for infertility, cancer
Extensive search of existing medicines turns up two that seem to fend off deadly virus.
By Nathan Seppa - Astronomy
Hubble finds hints of a planet oddly far-flung from its star
If confirmed, the dark gap in space debris will challenge astronomers' theories.
By Andrew Grant - Animals
In dark fishing spiders, males’ postmating nap is permanent
Species prepares for two pairings but goes into a fatal coma after a single encounter.
By Susan Milius - Tech
Eye chip sends signals to blind rats’ brains
When struck with light, retinal prostheses stimulate animals' visual cortices.
- Physics
Echoes create an interior map app
To record size and shape of a room, researchers use a speaker, five microphones and some math.
By Andrew Grant - Animals
Oysters may struggle to build shells as carbon dioxide rises
Ocean acidification could hamper larvae's growth.
By Erin Wayman - Health & Medicine
Even if science can’t make life longer, perhaps a pill can make a long life better
To live long and prosper (physically, not financially), you’d probably rather take a pill than starve yourself. So far, though, most of the evidence says very-low-calorie diets are the best strategy for living a longer life. At least if you’re a worm or a fly. It hasn’t been established that less food means a longer […]
- Physics
Simple invisibility cloaks hide toys, pets, people
Using everyday materials, two research teams conceal ordinary objects by guiding light around them.
By Andrew Grant