November, 2009
-
Hyperthymesia: Total Recall, Totally Overwhelming - November 07, 2009 09:00 AM
Due to a condition called hyperthymesia, Jill Price can recall practically every day of her life in vivid detail. New scans of Price's brain may finally reveal the source of her extraordinary memory.
-
Saturn's Rings and Many Moons - November 07, 2009 06:45 AM
Saturn is one of the most recognizable planets in our solar system, yet much about the gaseous planet and its beautiful rings remains a mystery.
-
Putting a New Face on Animal Testing - November 06, 2009 06:00 PM
Studies show Americans’ support for animal research has declined significantly. In response, biomedical researchers have launched a national campaign to defend and promote animal testing.
-
Is Your Brain Male or Female? - November 06, 2009 05:00 PM
Mounting evidence suggests that the differences between male and female brain structure may be more heavily influenced by environment than previously thought.
-
Space Debris: Asteroids, Comets and Meteoroids - November 06, 2009 06:45 AM
Comets, asteroids and meteoroids are plentiful in the asteroid belt and Kuiper Belt regions of the solar system, and every once in a while, they venture near Earth.
-
Stanford Researchers Create Germ Cells in the Lab - November 05, 2009 05:30 PM
Germ cells, the cells that compose eggs and sperm, could provide insight into the earliest stages of human development, and maybe even prevent infertility, birth defects and genetic diseases.
-
Pluto: The Dwarf Planet - November 05, 2009 06:30 AM
In 2006 the International Astronomical Union defined the term "planet" for the first time. Pluto did not meet the qualifications and was downgraded to a “dwarf planet,” or object #134340.
October, 2009
-
Boys Are Becoming Girls: Cause for Alarm or Old News? - October 26, 2009 08:25 PM
A Danish report on the level of contact that 2-year-old children in the developed world have with feminizing chemicals has been met with shock and concern by some, and frustration by those that say this is a new take on old news.
-
Britain Drops Proposal to Keep Innocent in DNA Database as US Database Grows - October 19, 2009 07:30 PM
In many U.S. states, the DNA of those arrested but not convicted is held indefinitely. In Britain, however, the Home Office dropped a DNA database proposal due to strong public opposition and a European court ruling.
-
Juggling Shown to Change Wiring of the Brain - October 14, 2009 07:00 AM
An Oxford University study has found that practicing a task such as juggling can alter the structure of the brain, indicating that the plasticity of the brain is greater than previously believed.
-
Why Parents Lie to Children - October 14, 2009 04:00 AM
Parents who demand honesty from their children lie just as frequently as parents who don’t, report studies from the University of Toronto and the University of California, San Diego.
-
LCROSS Moon Impact Not Much to Look At: Scientists Hope Spectrometer Data Will Show Water on the Moon - October 09, 2009 07:30 PM
Early this morning, the Centaur rocket, followed by the LCROSS craft, collided with the moon in an attempt to stir up a plume of dust that scientists hope will reveal deposits of ice on the moon.
-
Will BPA Exposure Make Your Baby Daughter Aggressive? - October 09, 2009 08:00 AM
A recent study suggests there may be a link between prenatal exposure to the chemical and increased aggression in little girls, but many find the association to be unfounded.
-
Scientists Celebrate Algal Bloom After Australian Dust Storm, but Could It Be Trouble? - October 08, 2009 03:00 PM
The number of microorganisms in Sydney Harbor tripled in the days following the dust storm. Phytoplankton is a key part of the ocean ecosystem, but too much of it can have dire consequences.
-
Understanding the Breast Cancer Gene Breakthrough - October 07, 2009 05:30 PM
Everyone has gene NRG1, but in many breast cancer cells the gene is “broken.” How will the newfound link between the gene and cancer change the future of medicine?
-
Coins Reveal Clues About Ancient Roman Population - October 07, 2009 02:15 PM
Based on the discovery of ancient coin hoards, two scientists believe the population of ancient Rome may have been smaller than previously suggested, an issue that is widely debated.
-
“Darwin’s Darkest Hour” Offers Insight Into Scientist’s Inner Struggle - October 06, 2009 07:00 PM
Tonight, NOVA will broadcast “Darwin’s Darkest Hour,” a docudrama that examines Charles Darwin’s struggle over whether to publish his theory of evolution, knowing it would anger the church and threaten his marriage.
-
Nobel Medicine Laureates Discover the Key to Cellular Aging - October 05, 2009 05:00 PM
Gain a better understanding of the Nobel prize-winning discovery that will aid in the development of new cancer therapies.
-
Discovery of Oldest Hominid Fossil May End Search for Chimp-like Missing Link - October 02, 2009 05:28 PM
“Ardi,” a 4.4 million-year-old early human fossil, may prove that a “missing link” between humans and chimps does not exist, and that both species evolved substantially from a common ancestor.
-
NFL Study Acknowledges High Risk of Dementia for Players - October 02, 2009 07:00 AM
An NFL-commissioned study found that retired players suffer from dementia and other memory-related diseases at many times the normal rate. The findings support prior independent research that the NFL has tried to discredit.
September, 2009
-
Deformed Frogs Highlight Global Decline of Amphibian Species - September 28, 2009 06:00 PM
The growing number of deformed frogs in northern California is caused by factors similar to those responsible for the rapid decline of frog populations and other amphibians worldwide.
-
“Modest” Success of HIV Vaccine a Significant Step for Researchers - September 27, 2009 08:00 AM
A clinical trial found that an experimental HIV vaccine moderately reduced the risk of infection. It is the first successful large clinical trial of an HIV vaccine.
-
Proof of Water on the Moon: What Does It Mean for the Future of Space Exploration? - September 25, 2009 02:00 PM
Three separate spacecraft have found proof that the moon’s surface holds water molecules, a discovery that will likely encourage exploration of the moon and beyond.
-
What Is the Cause and Impact of Australia’s Dust Storm? - September 24, 2009 05:00 PM
Australia’s biggest dust storm in 70 years blanketed Sydney and other parts of the east coast in red dust this week.
-
Evidence Suggests the Moon’s Permanently Shadowed Craters Contain Ice - September 19, 2009 08:00 AM
The first results from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter indicate that shadowed craters on the moon’s north and south poles may be the coldest places in the solar system, raising the probability that water ice is present on the moon.
-
Space Radiation Hinders NASA’s Mars Ambitions - September 17, 2009 02:45 PM
Faced with proposed budget cuts and a need for new technologies that would protect astronauts from radiation, NASA may have to put Mars exploration on hold.
-
Legend of Man-Eating Raptor Confirmed by Paleontologists - September 16, 2009 07:00 AM
New Zealand legends of a man-eating bird may actually have substance, as scientists say that Haast’s eagle, a giant bird extinct for 500 years, was a predator, not a scavenger.
-
MRSA “Superbug” Found on West Coast Beaches - September 15, 2009 03:30 PM
Drug-resistant staph bacteria similar to the strains found in hospitals have been detected on beaches in Washington state, surprising researchers who believed there was no chance of finding the “superbug” there.
-
On This Day: Darwin’s HMS Beagle Reaches Galapagos Islands - September 15, 2009 02:00 AM
On Sept. 15, 1835, Charles Darwin, aboard the HMS Beagle, reached the Galapagos Islands, where he would start to formulate his ideas of natural selection.
-
DNA Pioneer Calls for Britain to Remove Genetic Profiles of Innocent People From Its Database - September 14, 2009 06:00 PM
Alec Jeffreys, a pioneer in genetic profiling, last week repeated his opposition to the policy of keeping DNA samples of innocent people in the British DNA database. Britain has been slow to respond to a European court ruling that found the database violated the human right to privacy.