Archives
More Stories from the October 20, 2012 issue
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Planetary ScienceVoyager chasing solar system’s edge
On the 35th anniversary of the spacecraft’s launch, scientists ponder when it will move beyond the sun’s reach.
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Chemistry
Too-young caterpillars like scent of sex
Larvae respond to mate-attracting pheromones, raising evolutionary questions about what a very grown-up chemical signal could mean to them.
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Planetary Science
Mars clays may have volcanic source
Deposits didn’t need flowing water to form, new research suggests.
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Life
New swine flu virus could infect people
Strains found in Korean pigs contain gene mutations that make them potentially transmissible to humans.
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Health & Medicine
Anti-inflammatories tied to cardiac risk
Heart attack survivors who take ibuprofen or diclofenac appear more likely to die or suffer another attack, a large Danish study finds.
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Health & Medicine
First dengue vaccine trial disappoints
The shots protect against three of the four viral subtypes, failing to deliver full protection, a study in Thailand shows.
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Life
Stem cells may help in treating deafness
A new method triggers the development of sound-sensitive neurons in the inner ear.
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Tech
Facebook peer pressure gets out the vote
People were more likely to take part in the November 2010 election when they were told that their online friends already had.
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Health & Medicine
Brain’s white matter diminished in isolated mice
Experiments may offer a biological explanation for the social and emotional problems of neglected children.
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Life
Killer whale mama’s boys live longer
Survival benefits may explain females’ extended life span following menopause.
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Physics
Uncertainty not so certain after all
Lab experiments undermine the first formulation of Heisenberg’s famous physics principle, but leave its broader implications intact.
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Life
Flash leads to flex in lab-grown muscle
Light-activated artificial tissue inspires dream of squirming wormbots.
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Life
DNA tags may dictate bee behavior
Chemical alterations affect genetic activity but not the genes themselves.
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Health & Medicine
Gamblers go all-in on Ritalin
Risk-taking may rise when healthy people use the stimulant to boost concentration.
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Humans
A moving lift for poor families
Federal housing subsidies didn’t fight poverty as hoped, but trading public housing for new neighborhoods brought psychological benefits.
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Health & Medicine
Oral MS drug passes tests
A drug called BG-12, similar to a psoriasis medicine used in Germany, supresses multiple sclerosis relapses well, two studies find.
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Life
E. coli caught in the act of evolving
Researchers track thousands of bacterial generations to document the development of a trait nearly 25 years in the making.
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Math
Bumblebees navigate new turf without a map
The insects can quickly calculate the best route between flowers.
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Humans
Africans’ genes mute on human birthplace
Latest DNA studies confirm previous research on the prehistory of African groups, but still can’t locate the root of the species.
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Life
Breast cancer gets genetic profile
Insights from new data may help improve treatment for some types of disease.
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Earth
Intraplate quakes signal tectonic breakup
The unusual April temblors are the latest in a massive energy release that is cleaving the Indo-Australian crustal plate in two.
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Humans
Car-crazy kid wins middle school science competition
First place at Broadcom MASTERS goes to 14-year-old who studied automotive aerodynamics.
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Humans
Social Media Sway
Worries over political misinformation on Twitter attract scientists’ attention.
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Life
Scent Into Action
Rodent responses to a whiff of predator may offer clues to instinct in the brain.
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