
Koalas Under Threat From Climate Change
New research shows increased
temperatures and carbon dioxide
levels are a threat to the
Australian national icon, the
koala. Biologists have been
researching the effects of carbon
dioxide increases and temperature
... > full story
- more on:

New Evidence From Earliest Known Human Settlement In The Americas
New evidence from the Monte Verde
archaeological site in southern
Chile confirms its status as the
earliest known human settlement in
the Americas and provides
additional support for the theory
... > full story
- more on:

Superbug Genome Sequenced: Steno Has Remarkable Capacity For Drug Resistance
The genome of a newly-emerging
superbug, commonly known as Steno,
has just been sequenced. The
results reveal an organism with a
remarkable capacity for drug
resistance. The research was
... > full story
- more on:

Computer Game's High Score Could Earn The Nobel Prize In Medicine
Gamers have devoted countless
years of collective brainpower to
idle pursuits. This week
researchers will try to harness
those finely honed skills to make
medical discoveries through a
... > full story
- more on:

Iron 'Snow' Helps Maintain Mercury's Magnetic Field, Scientists Say
New scientific evidence suggests
that deep inside the planet
Mercury, iron "snow" forms and
falls toward the center of the
planet, much like snowflakes form
in Earth's atmosphere and fall to
... > full story
- more on:

Exhaling For Exploration: Scientists Test Lunar Breathing System
Imagine yourself hip-to-hip,
shoulder-to-shoulder, inside a
room the size of a walk-in closet
for eight hours with five people
you just met. Does that make you
sweat? Or maybe make your
... > full story
- more on:

Climate Models Overheat Antarctica, New Study Finds
Computer analyses of global
climate have consistently
overstated warming in Antarctica,
new research concludes. The study
can help scientists improve
computer models and determine if
Earth's southernmost continent
... > full story
- more on:

Amazon Under Threat From Cleaner Air
The Amazon rainforest, so crucial
to the Earth's climate system, is
coming under threat from cleaner
air say prominent climate
scientists. The new study
identifies a link between reducing
sulphur dioxide emissions from
... > full story
- more on:

'Burpless' Grass Cuts Methane Gas From Cattle, May Help Reduce Global Warming
A new type of grass may help
tackle global warming by cutting
the level of methane given off by
cows. Researchers are developing a
grass that will not only cut the
amount of methane cows burp up
... > full story
- more on:

Why Face Symmetry Is Sexy Across Cultures And Species
In a study published in the May 7
issue of the journal PLoS ONE,
Anthony Little of the University
of Stirling and colleagues show
that measurements of symmetry and
sexual dimorphism from faces are
related in humans, both in
... > full story
- more on:
Roll over headlines to view top news summaries:
- Koalas Under Threat From Climate Change
- New Evidence From Earliest American Settlement
- Drug-Resistant Superbug Genome Sequenced
- Computer Game May Make Medical Breakthroughs
- Iron 'Snow' Keeps Mercury's Magnetic Field
- Lunar Breathing System Being Tested
- Climate Models Overheat Antarctica
- Amazon Under Threat From Cleaner Air
- 'Burpless' Grass Cuts Methane Gas From Cattle
- Why Face Symmetry Is Sexy
More Science Headlines
Updated 2 hours 40 minutes ago | Next update in 20 minutes
Scan Latest News
Want to scroll through all headlines and summaries? See our main news page, or use your RSS reader to view our free newsfeeds.
11 am EDT Edition
<< earlier edition | later edition >>
11 am EDT
-
'Dancing' Hair Cells Are Key To Humans' Acute Hearing
May 9, 2008 Researchers have found that an electrically powered amplification mechanism in the cochlea of the ear is critical to the acute hearing of humans and other mammals. The findings will enable better ... > full story -
Cable Driven Robot Assists Patients With Neurological Disorders
May 9, 2008 Scientists have invented a unique robotic device to assist with the physical rehabilitation process of patients suffering from neurological damages to their upper extremities such as those due to ... > full story -
Molecular Espionage Shows A Single HIV Enzyme's Many Tasks
May 9, 2008 Using ingenious molecular espionage, scientists have found how a single key enzyme, seemingly the Swiss army knife in HIV's toolbox, differentiates and dynamically binds both DNA and RNA as part of ... > full story -
Priority Regions For Threatened Frog And Toad Conservation In Latin America
May 9, 2008 Nearly 35% of all amphibians are now threatened of extinction raising them to the position of the most endangered group of animals in the world. Decline of amphibian populations and species is ... > full story -
Asthma Inhaler Misuse Widespread Among Anti-social Teens
May 9, 2008 Nearly one out of four teens who use an asthma inhaler say their intent is to get high. Findings from a new study identified high levels of asthma inhaler misuse among anti-social youths, who ... > full story
8 am EDT
-
Nitrates In Vegetables Protect Against Gastric Ulcers, Study Shows
May 9, 2008 Fruits and vegetables that are rich in nitrates protect the stomach from damage. This takes place through conversion of nitrates into nitrites by the bacteria in the oral cavity and subsequent ... > full story -
How 'Horse Tranquilizer' Stops Depression
May 9, 2008 Researchers have shown exactly how the anaesthetic ketamine helps depression with images that show the orbitofrontal cortex -- the part of the brain that is overactive in depression -- being ... > full story -
Skin Flaps Deliver Cancer-fighting Therapy, Study Reveals
May 9, 2008 Using gene therapy, plastic surgeons have delivered cancer fighting proteins through skin flaps placed on cancerous tumors on rats with a 79 percent reduction in tumor volume, according to a study in ... > full story -
Tiny Electronics: Contact Through Silver Particles In Ink
May 9, 2008 Conductor paths in sensor systems have to be correctly "wired." Now, instead of using obtrusive connecting wires, researchers print the conductor paths. The connections thus produced are thinner, and ... > full story -
Do Antidepressants Enhance Immune Function?
May 9, 2008 Infection with human immunodeficiency virus, which leads to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, is an epidemic of global concern. The functioning of natural killer (NK) cells, which are a major ... > full story
5 am EDT
-
Prions Show Their Good Side
May 9, 2008 Prions, the infamous agents behind mad cow disease and its human variation, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, also have a helpful side. New research shows that normally functioning prions prevent neurons ... > full story -
Seed Dispersal In Mauritius -- Dead As A Dodo?
May 9, 2008 Walking through the last rainforests on the volcanic island of Mauritius, located some 800 km east of Madagascar, one is surrounded by ghosts. Since human colonisation in the 17th century, the island ... > full story -
Key Roadblock To Gene Expression Identified: Implications For AIDS
May 9, 2008 For the first time, research has made possible a detailed map of how the building blocks of chromosomes, the cellular structures that contain genes, are organized in the fruit fly Drosophila ... > full story -
RFID Testbed Measures Multiple Tags At Once And Rapidly Assesses New Antenna Designs
May 9, 2008 Researchers have designed a system capable of simultaneously measuring hundreds of radio frequency identification tags and rapidly testing new RFID tag prototypes. This testbed allows researchers to ... > full story -
Racial Discrimination Has Different Mental Health Effects On Asians, Study Shows
May 9, 2008 The first national study of Asians living in the United States shows that for some individuals, strong ties to their ethnicity can guard against the negative effects of racism. For others, strong ... > full story
2 am EDT
-
Too Much Or Too Little Weight Gain Poses Risks To Pregnant Mothers, Babies
May 9, 2008 Women who gain more or less than recommended amounts of weight during pregnancy are likely to increase the risk of problems for both themselves and their child, according to a new report. Among the ... > full story -
GIOVE-B Transmitting Its First Signals
May 9, 2008 Following a successful launch on April 27, GIOVE-B began transmitting navigation signals May 7. This is a truly historic step for satellite navigation since GIOVE-B is now, for the first time, ... > full story -
6-month Follow-up Diagnostic Mammograms Recommended For Women With Probably Benign Lesions, Study Suggests
May 9, 2008 Radiologists can, with confidence, recommend a six-month follow-up diagnostic mammogram rather than an immediate biopsy for patients with "probably benign" breast lesions, a new study ... > full story -
76-teraflop Supercomputer Installed For Critical Research On Climate Change, Severe Weather
May 9, 2008 The National Center for Atmospheric Research has taken delivery of a new IBM supercomputer that will advance research into severe weather and the future of Earth's climate. The supercomputer, known ... > full story -
Patients With Chronic Illness Benefit From Telehealth Intervention
May 9, 2008 Telehealth, using telecommunication technology to deliver health care, is increasingly being used to improve the delivery and availability of health care services to patients. Patients who received a ... > full story
11 pm EDT
-
Cell's 'Power Plant' Genes Raise Vision Disorder Risk
May 8, 2008 Genetic variation in the DNA of mitochondria -- the "power plants" of cells -- contributes to a person's risk of developing age-related macular degeneration, investigators report. The study is the ... > full story -
Boosting 'Mussel' Power: New Technique For Making Key Marine Mussel Protein
May 8, 2008 Researchers in Korea report development of a way to double production of a sticky protein from marine mussels destined for use as an antibacterial coating to prevent life-threatening infections in ... > full story -
Vitamin D Linked To Reduced Mortality Rate In Chronic Kidney Disease
May 8, 2008 For patients with moderate to severe chronic kidney disease, treatment with activated vitamin D may reduce the risk of death by approximately one-fourth, suggests a new ... > full story -
Large Reductions In Agricultural Chemical Use Can Still Result In High Crop Yields And Profits
May 8, 2008 Researchers investigated whether yield, weed suppression, and profit characteristics of low-external-input farming systems could match or exceed those of conventional farming systems. Yields and ... > full story -
Depression Diversity: Brain Studies Reveal Big Differences Among Individuals
May 8, 2008 Depressed people may have far fewer of the receptors for some of the brain's "feel good" stress-response chemicals than non-depressed people, new research shows. And even among depressed people, the ... > full story
8 pm EDT
-
Breast Cancer Tumors Grow Faster In Younger Women
May 8, 2008 A new approach to estimating tumor growth has been developed based on breast screening results from almost 400,000 women. This new model can also estimate the proportion of breast cancers which are ... > full story -
Biologists Names New Spider After Neil Young
May 8, 2008 A biologist has brought his admiration of Neil Young to a whole new class. Or species, to be exact. A professor of biology has named a newly discovered trapdoor spider, Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi, ... > full story -
Immune System Pathway Identified To Fight Allergens, Asthma
May 8, 2008 For the first time, researchers have identified genetic components of dendritic cells that are key to asthma and allergy-related immune response malfunction. Targeting these elements could result in ... > full story -
Chemists Measure Chilli Sauce Hotness With Nanotubes
May 8, 2008 If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen and into the lab -- chemists can now use carbon nanotubes to judge the heat of chilli sauces. The technology might soon be available commercially ... > full story -
Speaking More Than One Language May Slow The Aging Process In The Mind
May 8, 2008 Children who speak a second or third language may have an unexpected advantage later in life, a new study has found. Knowing and speaking many languages may protect the brain against the effects of ... > full story
5 pm EDT
-
Mothers' High Normal Blood Sugar Levels Place Infants At Risk For Birth Problems
May 8, 2008 Pregnant women with blood sugar levels in the higher range of normal -- but not high enough to be considered diabetes -- are more likely than women with lower blood sugar levels to give birth to ... > full story -
Hydrogen For Fuel Cells Extracted From Formic Acid At Room Temperature
May 8, 2008 Matthias Beller and his team at the Leibniz Institute of Catalysis in Rostock have succeeded in the controlled extraction of hydrogen from formic acid without the need for a high-temperature ... > full story -
Gene That Gives Rise To Neuroblastoma, An Aggressive Childhood Cancer, Located
May 8, 2008 Using advanced gene-hunting technology, researchers have identified a chromosome region that is the source of genetic events that give rise to neuroblastoma, an often fatal childhood cancer. The ... > full story -
University Research Contributes To Global Warming, Professor Discovers
May 8, 2008 Add university research to the long list of human activities contributing to global warming. A biochemistry professor who is a committed environmentalist found that his own research produces 44 tons ... > full story -
Lack Of Motivation In Schizophrenia Linked To Brain Chemical Imbalance
May 8, 2008 A study of patients with psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia suggests an alternative explanation for why many sufferers lack motivation. In addition to the hallucinations that often ... > full story
2 pm EDT
-
New Target For Alzheimer's Disease Identified
May 8, 2008 In a new study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers have determined in mouse models that modulating the activity of enkephalin peptides in the brain might reduce the cognitive ... > full story -
Chilean Volcano Captured Blasting Ash
May 8, 2008 Chile's Chaiten Volcano is shown spewing ash and smoke into the air for hundreds of kilometers over Argentina's Patagonia Plateau in a new Envisat image acquired on May 5, ... > full story -
Women And Heart Attack: Failure To Recognize Symptoms, Failure To Treat Appropriately, Study Finds
May 8, 2008 The gender gap is alive and well in heart disease, a new international study finds, with women differing from men on everything from symptoms to treatment in both heart attack and severe chest pain. ... > full story -
Alternatives To Ozone-depleting Pesticide Studied
May 8, 2008 In 2000, the widely used pesticide methy bromide was classified as an ozone-depleting substance, and in 2005 MB was banned in the United States and all European Union countries. In response to the ... > full story -
Seagulls: Are Males The Weaker Sex?
May 8, 2008 Male seagulls may be more vulnerable to their environment during embryonic development than females. Until now, the sex differences in developmental rate and susceptibility to unfavorable conditions ... > full story
- View all the latest headlines and summaries, or browse by topic below:
Health & Biomedical Sciences
Health & Medicine
Skin Flaps Deliver Cancer-fighting Therapy, Study Reveals
Using gene therapy, plastic surgeons have delivered cancer fighting proteins through skin flaps placed on cancerous tumors on rats with a 79 percent reduction in tumor volume, according to a study in ... > full story
- Too Much Or Too Little Weight Gain Poses Risks To Pregnant Mothers, Babies
- 6-month Follow-up Diagnostic Mammograms Recommended For Women With Probably Benign Lesions, Study Suggests
- Cell's 'Power Plant' Genes Raise Vision Disorder Risk
- Vitamin D Linked To Reduced Mortality Rate In Chronic Kidney Disease
- more stories
Mind & Brain
How 'Horse Tranquilizer' Stops Depression
Researchers have shown exactly how the anaesthetic ketamine helps depression with images that show the orbitofrontal cortex -- the part of the brain that is overactive in depression -- being ... > full story
Living Well
Nitrates In Vegetables Protect Against Gastric Ulcers, Study Shows
Fruits and vegetables that are rich in nitrates protect the stomach from damage. This takes place through conversion of nitrates into nitrites by the bacteria in the oral cavity and subsequent ... > full story
- Speaking More Than One Language May Slow The Aging Process In The Mind
- Obesity Can Increase Dementia Risk By Up To 80 Percent, Study Suggests
- Much Of The Increased Risk Of Death From Smoking Reduced Within Several Years After Quitting
- Waterpipe Smoking On College Campuses May Contribute To Growing Public Health Problem
- more stories
Biological & Earth Sciences
Plants & Animals
Prions Show Their Good Side
Prions, the infamous agents behind mad cow disease and its human variation, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, also have a helpful side. New research shows that normally functioning prions prevent neurons ... > full story
Earth & Climate
Seed Dispersal In Mauritius -- Dead As A Dodo?
Walking through the last rainforests on the volcanic island of Mauritius, located some 800 km east of Madagascar, one is surrounded by ghosts. Since human colonisation in the 17th century, the island ... > full story
Fossils & Ruins
Animal Interaction Behind Cambrian Explosion? 'Missing' Ancestors Of Today's Animals May Not Be Missing After All
An event as simple as the world's first bite may have sparked an ancient "explosion" of life 500 million years ago that led to the rise of the broad groups of animals that are still alive today. A ... > full story
- Platypus Genome Explains Animal's Peculiar Features; Holds Clues To Evolution Of Mammals
- Genome Sequence Of Fungus Reveals Unsuspected Ability To Use Complex Carbon Sources
- Dinosaur Bones Reveal Ancient Bug Bites
- Asteroid Impact 65 Million Years Ago Triggered A Global Hail Of Carbon Beads
- more stories
Physical & Applied Sciences
Space & Time
GIOVE-B Transmitting Its First Signals
Following a successful launch on April 27, GIOVE-B began transmitting navigation signals May 7. This is a truly historic step for satellite navigation since GIOVE-B is now, for the first time, ... > full story
Matter & Energy
Tiny Electronics: Contact Through Silver Particles In Ink
Conductor paths in sensor systems have to be correctly "wired." Now, instead of using obtrusive connecting wires, researchers print the conductor paths. The connections thus produced are thinner, and ... > full story
- Boosting 'Mussel' Power: New Technique For Making Key Marine Mussel Protein
- Chemists Measure Chilli Sauce Hotness With Nanotubes
- University Research Contributes To Global Warming, Professor Discovers
- Nanotube Production Leaps From Sooty Mess In Test Tube To Ready Formed Chemical Microsensors
- more stories
Computers & Math
RFID Testbed Measures Multiple Tags At Once And Rapidly Assesses New Antenna Designs
Researchers have designed a system capable of simultaneously measuring hundreds of radio frequency identification tags and rapidly testing new RFID tag prototypes. This testbed allows researchers to ... > full story









