Uncategorized
- Life
Microbes flourish under Arctic sea ice
Oceanographic expedition surprised to find photosynthetic microorganisms thriving under frozen surface.
- Space
Some newfound planets are something else
A re-evaluation of the Kepler mission’s data suggests one in three hot giant orbs it discovered is actually another kind of object.
- Health & Medicine
Replacing fatty acids may fight MS
Patients are deficient in four key lipids that neutralize immune cells linked to inflammation and nerve damage.
- Health & Medicine
Why antipsychotics need time to kick in
Insight into how some schizophrenia drugs work may explain why compounds that build up in the brain can take weeks to provide relief.
- Earth
Arctic’s wintry blanket can be warming
Forested snowscapes keep northern soils relatively toasty, diminishing how much climate-warming carbon they can sequester from the atmosphere.
- Animals
How a mosquito survives a raindrop hit
Lightweight insects can ride a water droplet, as long as they separate from it before hitting the ground.
- Life
Ancient birds wiped out huge insects
Competition in the air trumped the advantage of extra atmospheric oxygen.
- Life
Antiaging protein helps set daily rhythms
Changing levels of sirtuin in the brain alter activity patterns in mice.
- Chemistry
Flerovium and livermorium debut on periodic table
New element names honor the contributions of Russian and American laboratories.
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Science at 15,000 feet
It’s only natural that for her Ph.D. research, Ulyana Horodyskyj found herself rappelling down a Himalayan cliff. After all, she got bitten by the mountaineering bug at age 6, when she witnessed her first avalanche in the Swiss Alps. The Ngozumpa glacier in Nepal is covered in dirt and debris churned up as the glacier […]
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Letters
Dark matter inspiration On reading Tom Siegfried’s editorial “Dark matter nothing to fear, if it’s there or not” (SN: 5/19/12, p. 2):As into the universe I did stare I met a particle that wasn’t there It wasn’t there again today Oh, I wish it would go away.Tom Derderian, Winthrop, Mass. Reality bits Regarding “Bits of […]
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SN Online
BODY & BRAIN A new strategy boosts insulin production in mice. Read “Procedure offers hope in type 1 diabetes.” SCIENCE & SOCIETY A 17-year-old shows off his homemade nuclear fusion reactor (below) at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. See “At ISEF, fusion is hot.” MATTER & ENERGY The Leidenfrost effect allows physicists to […]
