Bacteria-sized molecules created in lab
Scientists have created giant molecules — the size of bacteria — that may be useful in future quantum computers. The molecules of unusual size are formed from pairs of Rydberg…
How one scientist’s gut microbes changed over a year
Where you live and what you eat can rapidly affect the types of friendly bacteria inhabiting your body. To see how the microbes that inhabit the mouth and intestines change…
Sugar industry sought to sugarcoat causes of heart disease
Using records unearthed from library storage vaults, researchers recently revealed that the sugar industry paid nutrition experts from Harvard University to downplay studies linking sugar and heart disease. Although the…
There’s a new way to stop an earthquake: put a volcano in its path
Editor’s note: Science has retracted the study described in this article. The May 3, 2019, issue of the journal notes that a panel of outside experts convened by Kyoto University…
Young planets carve rings and spirals in the gas around their suns
Growing planets carve rings and spiral arms out of the gas and dust surrounding their young stars, researchers report in three papers to be published in Astronomy & Astrophysics. And…
Cell biologists learn how Zika kills brain cells, devise schemes to stop it
SAN FRANCISCO — Cell biologists are learning more about how the Zika virus disrupts brain cells to cause the birth defect microcephaly, in which a baby’s brain and head are…
Coastal waters were an oxygen oasis 2.3 billion years ago
Earth was momentarily ripe for the evolution of animals hundreds of millions of years before they first appeared, researchers propose. Chemical clues in ancient rocks suggest that 2.32 billion to…
Construction of tiny, fluid-filled devices inspired by Legos
Legos have provided the inspiration for small, fluid-ferrying devices that can be built up brick-by-brick. Tools for manipulating tiny amounts of liquid, known as microfluidic devices, can be used to…
Analysis finds gender bias in peer-reviewer picks
Gender bias works in subtle ways, even in the scientific process. The latest illustration of that: Scientists recommend women less often than men as reviewers for scientific papers, a new…
Physically abused kids learn to fail at social rules for success
Physical abuse at home doesn’t just leave kids black and blue. It also bruises their ability to learn how to act at school and elsewhere, contributing to abused children’s well-documented…