Uncategorized
- 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.
-
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 […]
-
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 […]
-
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 […]
-
Science Future for June 16, 2012
June 25–29 Check out summer camps on space, flight and more at the Center of Science and Industry in Columbus, Ohio. More dates listed at bit.ly/SFcosicamp June 25–August 13 Headfirst’s Imagination Science camps in the D.C. area cover rockets, crime scenes and robots. See bit.ly/SFdcscicamp July 2–6 “The Zoo and You” camp at Santa Ana […]
-
Science Past from the issue of June 16, 1962
COMPUTER CALCULATES B.C. POSITIONS OF PLANETS — The positions of the planets, the moon and the sun from 601 B.C. to 1 A.D. have been calculated using an electronic “brain,” or computer. The astronomical tables are expected to provide scholars with new insight in the study of ancient civilizations…. Dr. O. Neugebauer of Brown University, […]
-
The Brain: Big Bangs, Behaviors, and Beliefs by Rob DeSalle and Ian Tattersall
Superbly simple illustrations by Patricia J. Wynne complement this road map to the brain’s evolution. Yale Univ., 2012, 368 p., $29.95
-
Learning From the Octopus: How Secrets from Nature Can Help Us Fight Terrorist Attacks, Natural Disasters, and Disease by Rafe Sagarin
Octopus defenses, marmot lie detection, salmon suicide and other natural phenomena provide inspiration for ways to improve national security. Basic Books, 2012, 320 p., $26.99
-
Transit of Venus: 1631 to the Present by Nick Lomb
This illustrated history recounts the scientific contributions and adventures of the 18th and 19th century astronomers who traveled the world to observe Venus passing in front of the sun. The Experiment, 2011, 228 p., $24.95
