Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Earth
Sun is setting on incandescent era
After more than a century, Edison's light bulbs stand poised to go extinct.
- Earth
Cash for clunkers II: Appliances
States could soon roll out programs that help consumers replace energy hogging home appliances.
- Psychology
Morality Play
Universal concerns, not cultural values, may shape kids’ developing notions of right and wrong.
- Earth
A trip to the garbage patch
Scientists bring back samples from the oceanic garbage patch off the coast of California.
- Humans
New genes give gut bacteria antibiotic resistance
Scientists find new genes for antibiotic resistance in common bacteria in the human gut.
- Life
Domesticated silkworms’ secrets
After mapping the genetic book of instructions for wild and domesticated silkworms, scientists identify changes associated with the taming of these caterpillars.
- Chemistry
Nitrous oxide fingered as monster ozone slayer
Nitrous oxide has become the leading threat to the future integrity of stratospheric ozone, scientists report.
- Humans
Girls have head start on snake and spider fears
At 11 months of age, girls quickly learn to associate fearful faces with images of snakes and spiders, a new study suggests.
- Health & Medicine
Probiotics: Better off dead?
Treating the gut to microbial therapy doesn't necessarily require using live bacteria.
- Health & Medicine
Vitamin D may be heart protective
Vitamin D limits arterial plaque buildup in people with diabetes, early tests suggest.
- Health & Medicine
Herbal supplementation can be an empty gesture
Chemical analyses show some botanical extracts contain little of the plant material they were supposed to possess.
- Life
Excess folic acid sits idle
Humans metabolize folic acid at a slow rate, suggesting that additional folic acid may yield no more benefits than recommended doses do, researchers report.
