Science News 2005


Here's a list of all the news articles that appeared on Science a GoGo in 2005.

23 December 2005

Girth And Length Muddle Bartenders' Brains


If you're looking to get merry this silly season, tell the bartender you want your drink in a wide, short glass. Chances are you'll get 25 percent more booze...

22 December 2005

Telescope Cleans Up Its Image


Astronomers using a laser and adaptive optics have nullified the distorting effects of the Earth's atmosphere to produce images of the galaxy in unprecedented clarity...

21 December 2005

Gamblers' Brains Wired For Failure


Researchers say that gamblers make the same two cognitive errors again and again when they gamble, much to the delight of casinos...

20 December 2005

Arctic Permafrost Not So Permanent


Thanks to a warming climate, 90 percent of the perennially frozen soil across the Arctic could thaw by 2100, increasing runoff to the Arctic Ocean and releasing vast amounts of carbon into the atmosphere...

19 December 2005

25 Percent Of Prescribed Antibiotics Ineffective


Older antibiotics, such as penicillin and amoxicillin, are failing to the point that experts are advocating the routine use of newer agents, despite concerns over antibiotic resistance...

16 December 2005

Stem Cells May Prove Hard To Tame


Recent experiments have uncovered some fascinating insights into the way stem cells make every effort to form an embryo, defying researchers' attempts to get them to form specific tissues...

15 December 2005

GM Tomatoes May Pave Way For Other Drought Resistant Crops


Consumers may still have lingering concerns about GM foods, but scientists are pushing ahead with new genetically modified plants that they say could revolutionize agriculture...

14 December 2005

New Plasma Thruster Promises Faster Spacecraft


A new, more powerful engine for spacecraft was inspired by the aurora created when the solar wind collides with the Earth's magnetic field...

13 December 2005

Probe Set To Dial 1-800-ENTANGLEMENT


A new nano-probe could allow physicists to manipulate on-demand a single electron into what's known as quantum critical states...

12 December 2005

Dark Matter Takes Shape With New Map


Using images from the Hubble space telescope, astrophysicists believe they have mapped out, in unprecedented detail, dark matter regions in several young galaxy clusters...

9 December 2005

Balls vs Brains In Batty Battle For Evolutionary Success


Testes that account for around 10 percent of body mass? Fascinating new research into mammalian sexual selection has found that bats have evolved this way, but at the expense of brain size...

8 December 2005

"Trust" Hormone Negates Fear


Researchers have mapped the effects of the brain chemical oxytocin - the trust hormone - and discovered how it short circuits fear in humans...

7 December 2005

Smash-Up Derby A Universal Pastime


Smashing into each other seems to be a relatively common phenomenon for galaxies, suggests a new deep sky survey looking for evidence of collisions...

6 December 2005

Arctic Soil Carbon Vastly Underestimated


Climatologists trying to understand the climatic effects of warming on Arctic soil carbon may have to plug in some new figures. It appears that previous estimates of arctic soil carbon may be wrong by a factor of 100...

5 December 2005

Menstrual Cycle Rewires Brain


Researchers have found that the female brain undergoes dramatic changes to its structure during the menstrual cycle, and they believe it's all designed to enhance reproductive success...

2 December 2005

New Method For Finding Extrasolar Planets


Locating planets around distant suns could become a lot easier if the development of a new device called an optical vortex is successful...

1 December 2005

Atoms Coaxed Into Quantum "Cat" State


Scientists have managed to manipulate atoms into a Schrödinger "cat" state, where the atoms exist in two states simultaneously, in this case, spinning in opposite directions at the same time...

30 November 2005

Scan A Brain And Predict The Future


Scanning the brains of volunteers while they played a game has allowed neuroscientists to predict whether the volunteers will succeed or fail at the game...

29 November 2005

Sea Level Rise Accelerating


Sea levels are rising twice as quickly today as they were 150 years ago, and scientists are pointing the finger at human-induced warming...

28 November 2005

Pimp My Electron Microscope


Observing the quantum world is problematic thanks to the size and speed of particle interactions. But a new souped-up electron microscope that enables researchers track a single electron might change that...

26 November 2005

Hayabusa Touchdown!


The Japanese Hayabusa probe appears to have touched down successfully on the asteroid Itokawa and gathered samples from its surface - but we won't know for sure until 2007...

25 November 2005

Satellite Provides Spectacular New Volcanic Images


Montagu Island, in the South Sandwich Islands, is home to a newly erupting volcano that satellite photos show is enlarging the island at a prodigious rate...

24 November 2005

GM Bacteria Creates Living Photographs


Using genetically engineered E. coli, students have successfully created the first-ever bacterial photographic paper...

23 November 2005

Brain Begins To Reveal Its Codes


Neuroscientists have been able to "read out" part of the brain's visual system's code involved in recognizing visual objects...

22 November 2005

Chinese Research Lost In Translation


Important Chinese genetic research frequently fails to reach the international scientific community. It appears that it is often only the studies with spectacular results that tend to get disseminated...

21 November 2005

Sex Life Of Bacteria Under The Microscope


Working with E.coli, scientists have been studying metabolic networks to understand the how, why and where of bacterial gene transfer...

18 November 2005

Anti-Aging Finding Turned On Its Head


Previous research showed that the addition of an extra SIR2 gene could extend the lifespan of some organisms. But a new study has found that deleting it altogether can produce even greater life extensions...

17 November 2005

Grim Future For Global Water Resources


Changes in rainfall patterns and shrinking glaciers due to climate change will mean a future where fresh water might be in very short supply...

16 November 2005

Sperm Precursor Cells Could Be Source Of Embryonic Stem Cells


Experimenting with sperm precursor cells, scientists believe they are close to coaxing such cells to behave like embryonic stem cells...

15 November 2005

Drug Gene Link To Human Evolution


A gene that is believed to play a role in human perception and drug dependence is expressed more readily in humans than in other primates, indicating a split in our evolution...

14 November 2005

Pollutants Linked To Suicide Rate?


An increased suicide rate in a community alongside a paper mill has prompted researchers to see if there might be a link between certain airborne pollutants and mental illness...

11 November 2005

Volcanic Clay May Have Served As Womb For Emergent Life


The mineral clay surrounding undersea hydrothermal vents has been found to not only incubate methanol, but also to trigger the creation of other biomolecules...

10 November 2005

Human Guinea Pig Success For Omega 3 Cancer Treatment


Success with omega-3 fatty acids in animal cancer trials have been repeated in a human subject whose lung cancer has now all but disappeared...

9 November 2005

More Evidence For Link Between Mood Disorders And Creativity


Children who had bipolar disorder, were at risk of it, or had bipolar parents, scored higher on a creativity index than normal children...

8 November 2005

Winter Ain't What it Used To Be


Data from the last seventy years indicate that rivers in the north-eastern United States are freezing over later and melting earlier...

7 November 2005

Making Sense Of Our Senses


Researchers are finding that our perceptions of the world may depend more on memory, attention and expectation than on the actual stimulus itself...

4 November 2005

When Thinking Can Be Toxic


If you suffer from a neurodegenerative disease, thinking can be bad for your brain. It seems that the nerve impulses passed between brain cells can become toxic, inflicting injury on neurons...

3 November 2005

Study Of Runaway Breakdown Set For Lab


Runaway breakdown, the phenomena supposedly behind terrestrial gamma ray bursts, could soon be studied more closely following electrifying new findings about sparks...

2 November 2005

New Climate Studies Predict Dire Future


Two new climate change reports make gloomy reading, predicting sea levels rising by 20 feet, average temperatures up by around 14 degrees, and big increases in malaria, Lyme disease and West Nile virus...

1 November 2005

Probiotics Touted As New Weapon Against Hospital Bugs


Surgeons should stop relying on antiseptic soap-scrubbing and wash their hands in yoghurt instead, says an expert on infectious diseases...

31 October 2005

New Research Center Aims To Plagiarize Nature


Some of man's most elegant technological developments have been inspired by Mother Nature, so it's not surprising that a new research center has been established specifically to develop new technologies based on the natural world...

28 October 2005

Asexual Reproduction The First Step To Extinction


Scientists studying asexual fungi believe that asexual reproduction could be the first step on the road to extinction...

27 October 2005

The Eyes Don't Have It


The first images of living human retinas have found that the number of color-sensitive cones in the human retina differs dramatically among people - by up to 40 times...

26 October 2005

Redesigning Plants For Life On Mars


Researchers are studying deep ocean organisms for genes that might be transplanted into plants so they can thrive on Mars...

25 October 2005

Brain Knows More Than It Lets On


Your brain may know the answer to a problem even if you don't, say scientists who have been analyzing monkey behavior...

24 October 2005

Cost Breakthrough For Inorganic Solar Cells


A new method to manufacture photovoltaic cells using inorganic nanocrystals promises solar cells that are much cheaper and easier to make...

21 October 2005

Interplay Of Glaciers And Ice Sheets Raises New Concerns


New observations suggest that ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica could break up much more quickly than previously thought, causing a rapid rise in sea level...

20 October 2005

Take A Chance With DNA Vaccine For Bird Flu, Say Chemists


Chemists in Britain say we should be tooling up now to produce a DNA vaccine for the H5N1 virus, even though DNA vaccines have not yet been proved effective or safe for human use...

19 October 2005

Nanomaterial Error-Correction Process Mimics Nature


Researchers are using a new error-correction process based on catalytic DNA to control the assembly of nanoparticles...

18 October 2005

Mountains Creating Atmospheric Hotspots


Wind gusts blowing over mountainous regions can create hotspots - of up to 1,000-degree Celsius - in the atmosphere and significantly affect regional air temperatures...

17 October 2005

Doubts Over Effectiveness Of Tamiflu


A strain of avian influenza from an infected Vietnamese girl has been found to be resistant to the drug Tamiflu...

14 October 2005

Climatologists Identify Areas To Be Most Affected By Warming


Heavier rains and increased snowfalls due to global warming - a new global weather model predicts where in the world these weather patterns will start occurring...

13 October 2005

Fighting Fit For Space Travel


Why the human immune system shuts down in zero gravity is a mystery that may now be part-way solved, a breakthrough that could mean one less problem on flights to Mars and other planets...

12 October 2005

Atom Wrangling Gets Serious


German researchers report "quasipermanent" storage of an atom between two mirrors for an unprecedented 17 seconds...

11 October 2005

Endangered Species Get A Lift From Viagra


Chinese men are eschewing traditional Chinese virility remedies in favor of Viagra and the ones who benefit most could be tigers, sea horses and other endangered species...

10 October 2005

Race Is On For Efficient Organic Solar Cells


Researchers are racing to develop organic solar cells that are as efficient as traditional silicon solar cells but much cheaper to produce...

7 October 2005

Secrets Of Gamma Ray Bursts Revealed


Scientists using satellites and a host of ground-based telescopes believe they have cracked the mystery behind the most powerful explosions in the universe...

6 October 2005

Reconstructed 1918 Flu Could Yield Vaccine Clues


Researchers who reconstructed the Spanish influenza virus using a technique known as reverse genetics hope their work will lead to novel vaccines and treatments...

5 October 2005

Oxygen Increase Behind Rise Of Mammals


A rapid rise in atmospheric oxygen levels 50 million years ago gave mammals the evolutionary nudge they needed to dominate the planet...

4 October 2005

Liar, Liar, Your Prefrontal Cortex Is On Fire


Scientists have found evidence of structural brain abnormalities in pathological liars who habitually lie and cheat...

3 October 2005

Rate of Climate Change Increasing


German scientists say a new computer model predicts an acceleration of global warming, strengthening the claims of another study that predicted the disappearance of Arctic sea ice and an increase in extreme weather events...

30 September 2005

Frog Gunk Blocks HIV


It's a pity that frogs and other amphibians are disappearing as a peptide secreted from the skin of a small tropical frog appears to be a potent blocker of HIV infection...

29 September 2005

3 And 7 Lucky Numbers For Dimensional Evolution


Physicists say the way our Universe diluted as it expanded favored the formation of three- and seven-dimensional realities...

28 September 2005

Balloons Set For Planetary Exploration Comeback


Exploring other planets may get a whole lot faster with guided next-generation balloons that can cover vast areas much more quickly than surface-based rovers...

27 September 2005

Novel "Walking" Molecule Mooted For Nano-Abacus


A molecule that "walks" in a straight line much like a human could be the building block for molecular computers that, in something of a retro fashion, work like an abacus...

26 September 2005

28 Years On, Voyager Probes Can Still Surprise


The Voyager 1 space probe has sent back some intriguing cosmic ray telemetry from the edge of the solar system...

23 September 2005

Insight Into Eye Evolution Deals Blow To Intelligent Design


The human eye is one of nature's most complex works, which Intelligent Design advocates often cite as proof of an overarching creator. But new research has uncovered the missing evolutionary link between simple invertebrate eyes and our own sophisticated vision system...

22 September 2005

Proteins Reverse Engineered


Researchers believe they have cracked the code that nature uses to design proteins, allowing them to create artificial proteins...

21 September 2005

Effects Of Air Pollution On Health Vastly Underrated


Rising gas prices could have a silver lining. Researchers studying air pollution in the Los Angeles area say that the associated chronic health effects are two to three times greater than earlier believed...

20 September 2005

More Success With Stem Cells For Spinal Injuries


The potential of novel stem cell treatments is being realized with the announcement that adult neural stem cells have been used to successfully regenerate damaged spinal cord tissue...

19 September 2005

Biochemists Turn To Quantum Physics


Physicists aren't the only ones interested in electron spin. Biochemists believe that factoring electron spin into their calculations can help them come to grips with poorly understood biochemical reactions...

16 September 2005

Warming Oceans Behind Stronger Hurricanes?


Meteorologists say the number of category 4 and 5 hurricanes is increasing and there could be a connection between the increasing number of destructive storms and increases in global sea surface temperatures...

15 September 2005

Orphan Black Hole Puzzles Astronomers


Black holes usually occur within a host galaxy, but a recently discovered "homeless" black hole has astronomers wondering if it could in fact be hosted in a galaxy composed of dark matter...

14 September 2005

Adenovirus Vaccine May Be Key To Beating Bird Flu


Traditional flu vaccines are slow to make and only effective against specific strains, so researchers are looking at new virus-based vaccines that could be mass-produced quickly and would provide broader protection...

13 September 2005

Magnetic Appeal Of Nano-Diamonds


Metal-free magnets made from nano-sized diamonds could have applications in everything from medicine to quantum computers...

12 September 2005

Gamma Ray Burst Most Distant Yet


Astronomers have observed the afterglow of the farthest ever gamma ray burst - nearly 13 billion light years away...

9 September 2005

Key Points In Brain Evolution Identified


Ongoing natural selection in humans means our brains are still evolving, say researchers who have found that two previous evolutionary jumps coincided with key points in human history...

8 September 2005

Brownian Motion Used To Power Molecular Motor


In a breakthrough that could be used to power all sorts of nano-machines, chemists have developed a way of controlling Brownian motion so that molecule movements are no longer random...

7 September 2005

Tempel's Spectra Indicate Organic Compounds And Water


Researchers involved in NASA's Deep Impact mission say that analysis of the spectra from the collision with the Deep Impact probe indicates plenty of carbon, a tell-tale sign of organic compounds...

6 September 2005

Road De-Icing Threatens U.S. Aquatic Habitats


Fresh water systems across the northeastern United States are becoming saltier due to de-icing on roads, threatening previously pristine aquatic habitats...

5 September 2005

Junk RNA Begins To Yield Its Secrets


Two new research papers have shed some light on the mysteries behind non-coding RNA molecules. While these "junk" molecules don't play a role in creating proteins, they do appear to play significant roles in the function of cells...

2 September 2005

New Telescope Will Open Up Southern Skies


One of the world's largest optical telescopes has just opened for business in Southern Africa, providing an unprecedented view of the southern skies...

1 September 2005

Forget Horsepower, Think Cow-Power


Rumen fluid - found in the digestive system of cows - contains microbes that can be used to generate prodigious amounts of electric power...

31 August 2005

Ozone Layer Decline Halts


The ozone layer appears to be on the mend according to satellite and surface monitoring which at the very least suggest that its depletion is slowing...

30 August 2005

Physicists Propose Search For Dark Energy


An orbiting telescope that would take measurements from distant supernovae could finally answer some of the most intriguing questions about our expanding universe and the dark energy that appears to saturate it...

29 August 2005

Shedding Light On The Hydrogen Economy


Chemists at Virginia Tech have developed a novel way of using light to directly power the chemical process that breaks water down into hydrogen and oxygen...

26 August 2005

Placebo Effect Produces Real Painkillers


The first direct evidence that the brain produces painkilling chemicals in response to a sham pain treatment may lead to new treatments, based around psychological therapy, for people with chronic pain...

25 August 2005

Polymer Fuel Cell Breakthrough


A new chemical has been identified that allows polymer fuel cells to operate at much higher temperatures, opening the way for their use in cars and consumer electronic devices...

24 August 2005

GM Bacteria Making Plastics


The effects of dwindling fossil fuel reserves won't only be felt at the gas pump. Key ingredients for making plastic come from oil, and researchers are looking at how alternatives like genetically modified E. coli could manufacture some of these chemicals...

23 August 2005

Novel Water Switch Displays Intriguing Properties


A switch, based on the clinging technique used by palm beetles but using the electrostatic properties of water to operate, has displayed properties that researchers believe may have a wide range of applications...

22 August 2005

Umbilical Cord Blood May Overcome Stem Cell Stumbling Block


Embryonic stem cells hold great promise for disease treatment but ethical and technological bottlenecks are restricting their collection. Now, researchers believe they can create embryonic-like stem cells from umbilical cord blood...

19 August 2005

Canadian Men An Endangered Species


A community in Ontario, Canada has seen a massive decline in male births. Could it have anything to do with the adjacent petrochemical, polymer, and industrial chemical plants?

18 August 2005

Lions And Elephants For U.S. Great Plains?


The loss of large mammals from the Great Plains has had a profound effect on the ecosystems there, but researchers believe that re-populating the area with wild animals from Africa could reinvigorate the region and boost the economy...

17 August 2005

Milky Way Not Your Average Spiral Galaxy


Astronomers say the Milky Way is quite different from other spiral galaxies, with a large central rod-like feature running through the middle...

16 August 2005

Shocking Results From Urine Tests


A battery that generates electricity from urine could revolutionize the production of biochips for disease detection...

15 August 2005

Nanotube Transistor Created


Researchers have reported on the creation of transistors made from synthesized carbon nanotube structures that far outperform conventional electronic transistors...

12 August 2005

Certain Images Cause Temporary Blindness


Psychologists have found that when people are shown erotic or gory images, they frequently fail to register images they see immediately afterwards...

11 August 2005

Hormone Used To Rebuild Immune System


Australian researchers have re-started the immune systems of mice and humans using a common hormone...

10 August 2005

DNA Error Tolerance Points To Life's Warm Beginnings


Researchers investigating why the language of our genes is more complex than it would seemingly need to be, say their findings point to life beginning in a hot primordial soup...

9 August 2005

Meteor Craters The Cradle Of Life?


A heavenly body crashing into the Earth doesn't usually inspire thoughts of fecundity, but researchers studying a crater in the Canadian Arctic believe that the impact may have created just the right conditions for life to begin...

8 August 2005

Human Bird Flu Outbreak "Containable"


Researchers have been modeling how a human strain of bird flu might spread and have concluded that with the right precautionary measures, a pandemic could be contained...

5 August 2005

Wastewater Reveals A Cocaine Surprise


An analysis of sewage water in Italy has revealed surprisingly high concentrations of the byproducts of cocaine use...

4 August 2005

Roundup™ Super-Toxic For Frogs As Well As Tadpoles


The most popular herbicide in the world has been found to be amazingly efficient at killing frogs and tadpoles, at levels far below those found in much of the environment...

3 August 2005

Disease Seeking Nanoprobes Get Glowing Report


Disease diagnostics could improve dramatically with a nanoprobe that lights up only when activated by defective proteases that are a common sign of cancer and many other diseases...

2 August 2005

Gene Silencing Offers New Strategy For Treating Disease


A technique that can control gene expression at DNA level may pave the way for new treatments for many serious diseases...

1 August 2005

New Type Of Molecular Motor Suggested


If nano-machines are to be of any use, they'll need a reliable source of motive power. To this end, two chemists have designed a new kind of electrical motor composed of a single molecule...

29 July 2005

Neutrinos Open Window Into Earth's Interior


A neutrino detector in Japan is using anti-electron neutrinos emanating from inside the earth (geoneutrinos) to open a window into the Earth's interior, revealing previously hidden information...

28 July 2005

Crop Diagnosis With Polarized Light


Indicators of plant health, usually invisible to the naked eye, can be made visible using polarized light. Real-time control of fertilizer application using this technology could save the agricultural industry billions and prevent algal blooms...

27 July 2005

Nanoparticles Transport Gene Therapy


Instead of using potentially toxic and unstable viral vectors, scientists say they can now accomplish gene delivery using custom made nanoparticles...

26 July 2005

Big Bang Produced A "Perfect Fluid"


An unexpected discovery may see physicists heading back to the drawing board in order to update models representing the Universe immediately after the Big Bang...

25 July 2005

Methane's Effect On Climate Change May Be Twice Previous Estimates


Understanding how the Earth's climate systems work is a necessary step in determining how much man contributes to climate change, but a recent study may prove that our current models of measuring climate change are dangerously inadequate...

22 July 2005

Single-Atom-Thick Materials Almost Ready For Prime-Time


Two dimensional atomic crystals that can be grown to any size with custom properties could start a new industrial revolution...

21 July 2005

Prevalence Of Antibiotic Resistance Surprises


People who have taken a prescription of antibiotics within the previous two months have double the chance of carrying antibiotic resistant bacteria...

20 July 2005

Bird Poo Spreading Toxic Pollutants


Pristine ecosystems in Canada are becoming polluted with mercury and DDT thanks to seabirds that feed in polluted areas and then fly north to unload the contaminants via their guano...

19 July 2005

New Component Of Bone Identified


The type of "glue" that holds abalone shells together has also been found in human bone, working by using sacrificial bonds that uncoil when the bone is stressed...

18 July 2005

Shark Skin Sloop


Covering ship hulls with artificial shark skin could help ships sail more smoothly by stopping pesky barnacles from attaching to the hull...

15 July 2005

First Steps Taken To Build A Brain


Researchers in the U.S. and Europe have grown a functional neural network from adult stem cells where the new brain cells fire and communicate just as normal neurons do...

14 July 2005

Supercomputer To Simulate Galactic Evolution


One of the world's fastest supercomputers has just been commissioned to simulate how galaxies evolve in response to their own gravity...

13 July 2005

Parkinson's Drug Sparks Gambling Fever


A drug treatment used to help control the excessive shaking that Parkinson's disease triggers has caused some patients to develop pathological gambling behavior...

12 July 2005

Humans Behind Early Oz Ecosystem Collapse?


The massive extinctions of animals 50,000 years ago in Australia and the arrival of the first humans may be linked...

11 July 2005

African Parrot "Understands" Zero


Who's a clever boy then? The avian brain may be smarter than we think, say researchers who have found that the African grey parrot appears to comprehend the concept of zero...

8 July 2005

Retina Adapts By Suppressing The Commonplace


The retina of the eye actively seeks novel features in the visual environment, adjusting its processing on-the-fly in order to seek unusual visual elements, while ignoring the commonplace...

7 July 2005

Teeth On The Move


A natural human hormone called relaxin may be used to biochemically move teeth faster and less painfully during orthodontic treatment...

6 July 2005

Study Slams Economics Of Ethanol And Biodiesel


Turning biomass - plants like corn, soybeans and sunflowers - into fuel uses much more energy than the resulting ethanol or biodiesel generates...

5 July 2005

Something Fishy About Sound


A new study has found a direct line of communication between the part of the brain that controls the vocal muscle system and the part of the ear that hears sound...

4 July 2005

Bull's-Eye! Deep Impact Scores A Direct Hit


Deep Impact's intercept with comet Tempel 1 has proceeded without a hitch, the impactor smashing into the comet at 6 miles-per-second and releasing a massive plume of bright material...

1 July 2005

Milky Way Clock Upgrade


A vastly improved universal clock is set to accurately determine the age of the Milky Way, free of the unvalidated assumptions that have plagued previous methods...

30 June 2005

Deep Impact Could Validate Panspermia


The Deep Impact mission may change the way scientists look at not only comets, but at how life could be dispersed across the universe. The concept of panspermia, that comets may be carriers of organic matter and the seeds of life, could be supported by the findings from the Deep Impact mission...

30 June 2005

Alarm Over Rising Acidity Of Oceans


By the end of the century, rising carbon dioxide levels could lower oceanic pH levels to a point where vast swathes of marine life are threatened...

29 June 2005

Mountains Formed In The Blink Of An Eye


A new 'cold crust' model suggests that mountains can be created much more quickly than previously thought, and at much cooler temperatures...

28 June 2005

Hubble Captures Tempel's Premature Ejaculation


In less than a week, the Deep Impact spacecraft will crash a probe into the comet Tempel 1, but the Hubble telescope has already caught a preview of the fireworks that may be expected...

28 June 2005

Vitamin C Overrated For Colds


Vitamin C's reputation as a helpful defender against the common cold may be unjustified say researchers...

27 June 2005

New Infrared Cosmos Scan Underway


A new infrared survey of the cosmos has just commenced and it's set to uncover some of the most remote and dimmest objects in the universe...

24 June 2005

Microbes Act As Tiny Electric Generators


A tiny biological structure that is highly electrically conductive could help clean up groundwater and produce electricity from renewable resources...

23 June 2005

A Computer In A Single Neuron


Far from being a simple on-off switch or relay, single neurons in the human brain appear to be able to store complex data, such as the image of a person or landmark...

22 June 2005

Relationship Between Insomnia And Depression Revealed


Insomnia, far from being a symptom of depression, may instead precede it, making patients more likely to become and remain mentally ill...

21 June 2005

Howzat! Cricket Hairing Aids


Scientists have replicated a feature of the humble cricket that could lead to a new generation of hearing aids...

21 June 2005

Eggs And Sperm Made From Stem Cells


Scientists in the UK now claim it is entirely possible that eggs and sperm can be created from human embryonic stem cells...

20 June 2005

SMS - Smoggy Message Service


Londoners will soon be able to take advantage of street specific air pollution warnings made available via SMS text-messages...

20 June 2005

Open The Pod Bay Doors... Please


A new software language promises to equip computers with reasoning powers that better reflect the subtleties intended by their human operators...

17 June 2005

Evolution Appears To Be A Start-Stop Affair


Evolutionary theory says that continuous alterations occur during the course of genome evolution, but some regions of the human genome exist in a long stasis, "punctuated" by relatively brief episodes of activity...

15 June 2005

Earth's Cousin Only 15 Light Years Away


It has 4 times the gravity of Earth and its surface temperature is around 300 degrees C but astronomers say it's the most Earth-like planet yet discovered...

13 June 2005

New Slant On Volcanic Climate Change


Volcanic particles from eruptions can block out the sun but a more insidious global cooling threat is created by the actions of volcanic ash on microbial communities that emit methane...

10 June 2005

Personality Encoded In Junk DNA


Seemingly non-functional DNA - sometimes called junk DNA - may actually be the determining factor in deciding personality traits such as shyness and social behaviors like nurturing...

8 June 2005

Robot "Skin" Vital For Automated Space Exploration


A NASA technologist believes the development of artificial skin for robots - providing them with a sense of touch and allowing them to interact with their environment - is vitally important for future space exploration...

6 June 2005

Arctic Lakes Shrinking


Arctic lakes in Siberia and Alaska are shrinking and in some cases disappearing. Climate experts speculate that a warming climate may be the culprit...

3 June 2005

Inherited Disease Findings Stir Evolutionary Debate


Findings that a disease that affects you today could be the result of one of your ancestors being exposed to an environmental toxin during pregnancy are sure to stir the old evolutionary blank-slate debate...

1 June 2005

Love, Just A Basic Mammalian Response


Researchers have been using magnetic resonance imaging to study the brains of young men and women who describe themselves as "madly in love". The results provide some interesting insights into many aspects of human behavior...

30 May 2005

For Some Females, Size Does Matter


Up till now, evolutionary scientists believed that genitalia were not subject to sexual selection, but a new study has found that females of some fish species display a distinct preference for males with larger sexual organs...

27 May 2005

Strange Spot On Titan Baffles Boffins


The Cassini probe has been photographing a bright spot on the surface of Titan which scientists can't readily identify...

25 May 2005

Glaciers May Be Shrinking But Antarctic Ice Sheet Gains Mass


While previous climate change research indicated many glaciers are shrinking, the huge interior of the East Antarctic ice sheet is actually gaining mass...

23 May 2005

The Anatomy Of Sarcasm


Israeli psychologists have found that the comprehension of sarcasm depends upon a carefully orchestrated sequence of complex cognitive skills based in specific parts of the brain... Yeah, right...


20 May 2005

Halting Evolution To Fight Illness


Researchers working with the bacterium E. coli have demonstrated a new way of fighting antibiotic resistance: by stopping evolution...


18 May 2005

Medical Journals Too Influenced By Pharmaceutical Marketing


A European health executive and former medical editor says that medical journals are too reliant on pharmaceutical companies for advertising revenue, which in turn influences the studies that are published...


16 May 2005

Atmosphere, Heal Thyself


Chemists have discovered that natural chemical processes in the atmosphere may be removing smog and breaking down pollutants at a faster rate than previously believed...


13 May 2005

No Sex Please, We're Robots


Researchers have created a snake-like machine that can reproduce - an important step towards building robots that can replicate autonomously or repair themselves...


11 May 2005

Climate Change And Vegetation - Complex Feedback


Researchers studying extreme weather events are trying to understand how climate change affects vegetation, which then feeds-back and affects climate...


9 May 2005

Warning On Avian Flu Complacency


Governments around the world must stop burying their heads in the sand over the growing threat of a global epidemic of avian flu, says a UK doctor...


6 May 2005

Global Brightening Creates Warming Worries


The long-term trend of global dimming is now in reverse and more solar radiation is reaching the Earth's surface, raising the prospect that the full effects of global warming may soon start to be felt...


4 May 2005

Terrestrial Gamma Ray Mystery Deepens


Researchers studying high-energy gamma ray bursts from earth-bound thunderstorms are mystified as to why relatively low energy lightning strikes can create very high energy gamma ray bursts, and why the gamma ray burst precedes the lightning strike by a split-second...


2 May 2005

First Photo Of Planet Outside Our Solar System


The first ever picture of a planet outside our solar system shows a massive red planet - 5 times the mass of Jupiter - orbiting a brown dwarf star over 200 light years from Earth...


29 April 2005

Microbial Fuel Cell Produces Hydrogen & Cleans Wastewater


An electrically-assisted fuel cell device uses bacteria to coax four-times as much hydrogen directly out of biomass than can be generated typically by fermentation alone...


27 April 2005

Environmental Factors Damaging Men's Reproductive Health


New European studies seem to indicate that environmental pollutants are affecting men's reproductive systems and the sex chromosomes in their sperm...


25 April 2005

Microorganisms Behind Schizophrenia And Alzheimer's?


Rather than lifestyle factors, a report from the American Academy of Microbiology suggests that many chronic illnesses may be caused by infectious agents...


22 April 2005

Antarctic Glaciers In Widespread Retreat


A new survey suggests that 90 percent of the glaciers studied in Antarctica are retreating and that the retreat rates are accelerating...


20 April 2005

Bacteria May Protect Against HIV


Lactobacillus, bacteria commonly found in the oral and vaginal cavities of humans, targets HIV because the virus is coated with the sugar mannose, which the bacteria use as a food source...


18 April 2005

California Mulls Estrogen-Plastic Ban


Feeding a baby from certain types of plastic feeding bottles is as dangerous as giving the baby a birth control pill says an expert who is urging California to ban the plastic Bisphenol-A...


15 April 2005

More Dirt On Antimicrobial Soaps


In addition to past research that has shown how certain soaps and cleaning agents can adversely impact the environment, researchers have now found that the active agent in these products can interact with the chlorine in tap water, creating the carcinogen chloroform...


13 April 2005

New Asteroid Threat Scale Launched


Astronomers have revised the scale used to assess the threat of asteroids colliding with Earth to better communicate those risks with the general public...


11 April 2005

Alpha Constant May Not Be Constant


One of the cornerstones of physics, the fine structure - or alpha - constant, may not be a constant after all, according to a physicist studying distant quasars...


8 April 2005

Airborne Nanobacteria Spread Disease, Create Rain


New research claims that nanobacteria is the most widely dispersed biological agent in the atmosphere, contributing to the spread of disease and the creation of rainfall...


6 April 2005

Light Therapy As Effective As Drugs


The beneficial effects of light therapy, also known as phototherapy, are comparable to those found in many clinical studies of antidepressant drugs...


4 April 2005

First Synthesis Of Ultracold Molecules Achieved


A completely new field of research called superchemistry has been made possible by the synthesis of complex molecules in a Bose-Einstein condensate...


1 April 2005

New Type Of Superconductor Emerges


Researchers have found that magnetic fluctuations appear to be responsible for what researchers call "unconventional superconductivity" in a compound called plutonium-cobalt-pentagallium...


30 March 2005

New Theory On Origin Of Light


Two physicists believe that light may arise as a direct result of small violations of relativity...


21 March 2005

Cornucopia Machine Not Far Off Say Brits


A self-replicating machine which can make everything from a cup to a clarinet quickly and cheaply could be a common appliance in homes of the future...


18 March 2005

Warming And Sea Level Rise Inevitable


Even if no more greenhouse gases were emitted into the atmosphere, the Earth would still become warmer and sea levels would still rise...


16 March 2005

Complex Behaviors Hard-Wired Into Primate Brains


Putting a piece of food into your mouth, smiling at a passerby, grimacing in anger, and other complex movements and reactions may be hard-wired into your brain...


14 March 2005

Pointing The Finger At Aggressive Men


You don't need to be a palm reader to understand what makes a man tick, just check his finger length to find out whether he's passive or aggressive…


11 March 2005

Black Holes May Be "Hiding" The Ancient Universe


Astronomers looking for where the universe began believe their search could be hindered by the gravitational effects of black holes which can cause negative refraction on light sources, making it impossible to know where they are really looking...


9 February 2005

Curiosity Cured The Rat


Laboratory rats who are curious about the environment around them seem to survive cancerous tumors for longer than their less curious cousins...


7 March 2005

Bacteria To Clean Up Chemical Weapons


Russian researchers believe a versatile bacterium called Pseudomonas putida could help mop up the toxic by-products caused by the destruction of chemical weapons...


4 March 2005

Hobbit's Small Brain May Have Had Advanced Cognitive Abilities


Scientists studying the skull of the recently discovered Hobbit creature believe the chimp sized brain posessed surprisingly advanced cognitive abilities...


2 March 2005

Cod Numbers Decline 96 Percent


In the pre-Civil War era, cod were the dominant fish species on the Scotian Shelf, but now their numbers are down by an astonishing 96 percent...


28 February 2005

Nanobacteria A Problem For Space Travellers, Says NASA


Whilst debate still rages about whether so-called nanobacteria are actually biological, NASA has found that the nanobacterial agent believed to cause kidney stones multiplies at a much faster rate in zero-gravity...


25 February 2005

Invisible Galaxy May Be Composed Of Dark Matter


Astronomers have located what appears to be a galaxy devoid of stars, raising the possibility that it's composed entirely of the elusive material known as dark matter…


23 February 2005

Parasites A Ticking Bomb For Humans


The destruction of habitats and the extinctions that follow may cause parasites to jump-ship to human hosts with devastating consequences...


21 February 2005

Universe's Expansion May Be Due To Gravity "Leakage"


The accelerating expansion of the universe is usually attributed to dark energy but a new theory says that the expansion may be speeding up due to gravity leaking into other dimensions...


18 February 2005

Researchers Chase Earthbound Gamma Ray Bursts


Large thunderstorms seem to be creating gamma ray bursts at energies comparable to some of the most exotic environments in the universe...


16 February 2005

Into Orbit Via A Slingshot


Space exploration could be transformed by cart-wheeling cables stationed in space with the ability to "swoop down" into low orbits, pick up satellites and lob them into other orbits...


14 February 2005

3 Seconds To Choose A Mate


Researchers studying speed dating found that the participants usually made up their minds about a potential mate in 3 seconds rather than 3 minutes...


11 February 2005

Real-World Quantum Effects Demonstrated


A university team has demonstrated a nanomechanical device that bridges the worlds of classic and quantum physics...


9 February 2005

Brush Your Teeth And Prevent Heart Attack


Researchers say they have evidence that brushing your teeth and preventing gum disease could significantly reduce your chance of heart attack or stroke...


7 February 2005

Virus Wranglers Tame Measles


After more than a decade of trying, researchers have at last managed to harness the measles virus and turn it into an "obedient" virus that hunts down and destroys cancer cells...


4 February 2005

Super Greenhouse Gases Could Help Terraform Mars


Some scientists believe that synthetic greenhouse gases injected into the Martian atmosphere could raise the planet's temperature enough to melt its polar ice caps and create conditions suitable for sustaining biological life...


2 February 2005

Half Of All Bankruptcies Caused By Medical Bills


Every year, more than two million Americans are either bankrupted or financially crippled by medical bills, but the surprising part is that most of them had health insurance...


31 January 2005

Motor Neurons Grown From Stem Cells


Scientists have managed to turn human embryonic stem cells into spinal motor neurons, the critical nervous system pathways that relay messages from the brain...


28 January 2005

Male Sexual Orientation Genes Identified


A study looking at the human genome for genetic determinants of male sexual orientation has found found several fragments of DNA that appear to influence whether a man is heterosexual or gay...


26 January 2005

Aussie Deserts Created By Ancient Fires


Massive burning of the landscape by ancient hunters and gatherers may have caused the failure of the Australian Monsoon resulting in the large deserts that make up the country's interior...


24 January 2005

Waterways Awash With Anti-Bacterial Chemical


New findings suggest that an antimicrobial chemical used in soaps and cleaning products has contaminated rivers and streams to a much greater extent than previously thought...


21 January 2005

Genetic Gradient Theory Challenges Evolutionary Ideas


The results of research into gradually changing genetic traits could have profound implications for current approaches to conservation...


17 January 2005

Researchers Simulate Biological Clock


Researchers have found that the inherent randomness of molecular interactions within a cell is vital for the accurate operation of the mammalian biological clock...


14 January 2005

Epilepsy Drugs Slow Aging


A study into the effects of anti-seizure medications on roundworms found that the worms lived longer and retained youthful functions longer than normal...


7 January 2005

Map Reveals Dark Matter Clumps


Gravitational lensing techniques have been used to create a map of dark matter substructures inside clusters of galaxies...


5 January 2005

Huygens Excitement Mounts


Space scientists are counting down the hours until the Huygens probe begins its descent into Titan's mysterious atmosphere...


3 January 2005

Nanoparticles Used To Deliver Gene Therapy


A gene therapy method that doesn't rely on potentially toxic viruses as delivery vehicles may be getting closer...