Science & Technology - Aug 13, 2009 13:27 - 0 Comments
Water finally caught in the icy act
Lead author Jessica Hernández-Guzmán says when she finally saw the transition from liquid state to crystal, “I felt like I had won the lottery.”
Earth & Environment - Aug 13, 2009 12:37 - 0 Comments
Toastier temps make for smaller sheep
Soay sheep graze on the Scottish island of Hirta. Their average size has been declining since 1985, and researchers suspect warmer temperatures are playing a role. (Credit: Tim Coulson)
Health & Medicine - Aug 13, 2009 11:25 - 1 Comment
Why ‘breast is best’ for women, too
“Our results suggest a woman can lower her risk of cancer simply by breastfeeding her children,” says lead author Alison Stuebe.
Society & Culture - Aug 12, 2009 4:00 - 1 Comment
To stay healthy, stay married
A new study finds that that people who are divorced or widowed have 20 percent more chronic health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, than married people.
Society & Culture - Aug 12, 2009 4:00 - 0 Comments
Baby brainpower fuels adult success
The Fagan Test of Infant Intelligence, developed more than 20 years ago, measures the response infants have to pictures of novel objects.
Earth & Environment - Aug 11, 2009 4:00 - 0 Comments
Wind energy that’s for the birds
“Conducting this research will help the wind industry make informed, science-based decisions about where future wind energy projects can be built and how they can be operated to minimize the impact on migrating wildlife, while still providing much-needed alternative energy,” explains John Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Health & Medicine - Aug 11, 2009 4:00 - 0 Comments
In gay community, tobacco is king
A new study shows shows that as many as 37 percent of homosexual women and 33 percent of homosexual men smoke. That compares to national smoking rates of 18 percent for women and 24 percent for men in the 2006 National Health Interview Survey.
Earth & Environment - Aug 11, 2009 4:00 - 0 Comments
Beijing air sets Olympic gold standard
Above, a view of northwest Beijing on a clear day and, below, on a smoggy day.
Society & Culture - Aug 10, 2009 4:00 - 2 Comments
Report: Federal recruitment in shambles
“The task force sought to identify the complex and changing nature of federal service, while highlighting the ongoing crisis in recruitment and retention—a crisis that’s particularly acute as reports indicate the federal government needs to add approximately 600,000 employees just during President Obama’s administration,” says William Barron Jr.
Society & Culture - Aug 10, 2009 4:00 - 3 Comments
If nudged, most voters flip-flop
“Whether they identify themselves as liberal or conservative, many people are capable and perfectly willing to share the perspective of the other side,” says Christopher Bryan, who spearheaded the recent study. “It’s just a matter of prompting them to do so.”
Earth & Environment - Aug 10, 2009 4:00 - 0 Comments
In African rocks, traces of evolutionary blast
UNC marine geologist Justin Ries in the Zebra River Valley, southern Namibia. The Nama Group carbonates, which contain sulfur isotopic signatures suggesting that low marine sulfate and low atmospheric oxygen conditions persisted up until the Cambrian Explosion, loom in the background. (Credit: Gordon Love)
Health & Medicine - Aug 7, 2009 4:00 - 0 Comments
Hippocampus minds the memory gap
“As we learn more about how the brain forms memories, we can better understand what makes them go awry and then explore behavioral and neurological remedies,” says study coauthor Lila Davachi.
Science & Technology - Aug 7, 2009 4:00 - 1 Comment
Stars in early galaxies zoom, zoom, zoom
“We do find stars with comparable speeds in mature galaxies in today’s nearby universe, but those galaxies are typically many tens of thousands of light years across,” says lead researcher Pieter van Dokkum. “Here we have a very small galaxy in the young universe whose stars behave as if they were in a giant galaxy.” (Credit: NASA, ESA, and A. Field/STScI)
Health & Medicine - Aug 7, 2009 4:00 - 0 Comments
Nano-painting lights up brain tumors
A mouse brain tumor imaged using nanoparticles (left column) or conventional techniques (right column) combined with optical imaging and MRI. The nanoparticles give a clearer picture of the tumor, which is located at the back of the brain in the cerebellum.
Earth & Environment - Aug 7, 2009 4:00 - 0 Comments
Malady makes OJ taste like jet fuel
Researchers are using an advanced method for genome sequence analysis—known as metagenomics—to identify the pathogen responsible for citrus greening, a disease that could devastate the citrus industry.
Earth & Environment - Aug 6, 2009 4:00 - 0 Comments
Drilling deep to take Earth’s temperature
“We now also know that, although the beginning of ice ages (in the Northern Hemisphere) is linked to greenhouse gases, the change in intensity is related to how ice sheets grow and decay,” says Sindia Sosdian (left in helmet), seen above working with core samples on an earlier expedition.
Society & Culture - Aug 6, 2009 4:00 - 1 Comment
Fertility resurges as countries grow wealthy
“This study provides some ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ for countries that were concerned about population aging and population decline as a result of very low fertility rates,” says study coauthor Peter Kohler.
Society & Culture - Aug 4, 2009 11:44 - 5 Comments
Kids in jail: time out to hard time
“The adult criminal justice system is a poor and dangerous fit in every way for these young kids. Children should be handled in the juvenile justice system, where they can obtain the rehabilitative services and programs necessary to help them become productive adults. Lawmakers must reconsider and reverse these punitive laws,” says lead author Michele Deitch.
