Science’s burden: storing terabytes of research data for decades
Scientists in all fields collect large amounts of data, and it’s not always easy to organize, preserve, analyze, and use all of it in the best possible way. A recent issue of Science has a special...
View ArticlePollution may cause rapid evolutionary change in fish
Atlantic tomcods (a type of cod fish) from the Hudson River have some of the highest levels of toxic pollutants like PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), PCDDs (polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins), and...
View ArticleUnusual form of sulfur may move minerals around the Earth’s crust
Sulfur, an essential element of life, exists in many forms. Your nose would recognize it easily in the form of hydrogen sulfide (H2S), with its distinctive rotten egg smell. Other forms of sulfur are...
View ArticleCanister lets you add water (or bodily fluids) to recharge batteries
SiGNa Chemistry Inc. is launching a hydrogen-producing cartridge, the mobile-H2™, that will work with a portable, pocket-sized fuel cell charger to provide instant power for cell phones and other...
View ArticleGulf oil spill gives a glimpse into the source of atmospheric aerosols
The Deepwater Horizon spill gushed crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico from April 20 to July 15 last year. It was a devastating disaster that had an overwhelmingly negative effect on the environment....
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What do April showers on Titan bring?
A network of river channels on Xanadu, the continent-sized region of Titan. (credit: NASA) Scientists report, for the first time, that they have observed precipitation of methane over the equatorial...
View ArticleClovis culture may not have been the first in the Americas
Since the 1930s, many archeologists have thought that the Clovis culture (prehistoric Paleo-Indian) was the first group of people to inhabit the Americas, where it expanded rapidly roughly 12,800 to...
View ArticleA splash of color can help worms live longer
Thioflavin T, a dye used to stain protein aggregates, can extend the lifespan of roundworms and reduce effects of aging, like impeded movement. Silvestre Alavez and his coauthors report in a recent...
View ArticleRNA duplicating RNA, a step closer to the origin of life
According to the “RNA world” model of life's origin, RNA performed all of the operations that are essential to life. RNA alone passed on genetic information and catalyzed the reactions of basic...
View ArticleNew elastic polymer self-heals in just one minute
Self-healing polymers are extremely sought after by scientists, as they have many useful—not to mention lucrative—applications. Back in 2009, we reported a polyurethane-based polymeric material that...
View ArticleScience Festival Alliance helps connect scientists and the public
Since our coverage of the San Diego science festival in 2009, science festivals have built momentum. Roughly 17 states will hold at least one this year; Philadelphia is currently celebrating its first...
View ArticleA new branch found in the fungal tree of life
The fungus kingdom contains diverse eukaryotic organisms, including the yeast that we add in fermentation to make beer, the mold that grows on old bread, and the mushrooms that we eat. While we are...
View ArticleMammals’ brains got bigger to handle sense of smell
Mammals have the largest brains relative to body size out of all the organisms on Earth. In addition, only mammals have a neocortex, the outer layer of the cerebral hemispheres that participates in...
View ArticleSynthesizing a possible alternative to addictive painkillers
Opioids like morphine, codeine, and opium are effective painkillers, but they also have adverse effects, including addiction, nausea, and constipation. Thus, scientists are actively looking for...
View ArticleDisorienting mosquitoes with a blend of odors
As we enjoy the outdoors through various summer activities, we also have to deal with pests like mosquitoes, which are potential disease carriers, on top of being annoying. DEET...
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Researchers learning how nicotine works as an appetite suppressant
(credit: Flickr) Smoking has been associated with weight loss for centuries. In the modern world, advertisements and other aspects of popular culture often link slimness with cigarettes. Scientific...
View ArticleLifetime access to up-to-date info—is this the future of the textbook?
As an undergraduate student majoring in chemistry and biochemistry, I spent a lot of money on science textbooks. When classes ended, I kept all of my books instead of selling them back for pennies on...
View ArticleOrigin of life: enzyme-free copying of RNA
Organisms today employ multiple enzymes, proteins and RNA, to catalyze biochemical reactions that are essential for life. According to the , DNA and proteins were absent when life originated. Life...
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New fuel discovered that reversibly stores solar energy
(credit: Photograph by nsf.gov) Since the 1970s, chemists have worked on storing solar energy in molecules that change state in response to light. These photoactive molecules could be the ideal solar...
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Leaf acts as an echo beacon to lure bat pollinators
A montage shows a bat approaching a disk-shaped leaf. (credit: Ralph Mangelsdorff and Ralph Simon) As a Pallas’s long-tongued bat flies around a rainforest looking for nectar, it relies on...
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