All Stories by Lisa Grossman
- Humans
Finding coolable hot spots for crime
Some high-risk areas are easier to manage than others, a new model suggests.
- Astronomy
Black hole as a peephole
The galaxy’s central supermassive black hole could smear light to reveal extra dimensions.
- Space
Bouncing sands explain Mars’ rippled surface
A new study finds that dunes and ridges can form without much wind on the Red Planet.
- Materials Science
A charge for freezing water at different temperatures
Experiments use positive and negative forces to control ice formation at temperatures well below the normal freezing point.
-
Breaking it Down
Studies of how things fall apart may lead to materials that don’t.
- Life
Carried aloft, tiny creatures avoid parasites, sex
Dry and blowing in the breeze, rotifers are safe from a deadly fungus — and perhaps from the vulnerabilities presumed to accompany asexual reproduction.
- Space
Mars rover Spirit still running, but only in place
Six years into its 90-day mission, NASA’s rover becomes a lander
- Chemistry
New material sops up radioactive cesium
Isotope catcher could safely store waste from power plants.
- Earth
Tsunamis could telegraph their imminent arrival
Telecommunication cables could give early warnings of giant waves.
- Life
Snail in shining armor
A deep-sea gastropod’s natural shield may offer ideas for human protection.
- Physics
Just a stone’s throw forms a supersonic jet
Objects hitting water can move air at the speed of sound.
- Life
Alligators breathe like birds
Tricky measurements of flow reveal that air moves through the animal in one direction.
