science
One-step catalyst turns nitrates into water and air
Engineers at Rice University's Nanotechnology Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT) Center have found a catalyst that cleans toxic nitrates from drinking water by converting them...
First direct proof of ozone hole recovery due to chemicals ban
For the first time, scientists have shown through direct satellite observations of the ozone hole that levels of ozone-destroying chlorine are declining, resulting in...
Carbon nanotubes devices may have a limit to how ‘nano’ they...
Carbon nanotubes bound for electronics not only need to be as clean as possible to maximize their utility in next-generation nanoscale devices, but contact...
‘Silent code’ of nucleotides, not amino acids, determines functions of vital...
Humans possess six forms of the protein actin, which perform essential functions in the body. Two in particular, β-actin and γ-actin, are nearly identical,...
New lithium-rich battery could last much longer
On paper, it doesn't seem like Christopher Wolverton's super lithium-rich battery should work. For one, the novel battery uses iron, an inexpensive metal that...
Engineers make wearable sensors for plants, enabling measurements of water use...
Iowa State University plant scientist Patrick Schnable quickly described how he measured the time it takes for two kinds of corn plants to move...
Which came first – Complex life or high atmospheric oxygen?
We and all other animals wouldn't be here today if our planet didn't have a lot of oxygen in its atmosphere and oceans. But...
Physicists build muscle for shape-changing, cell-sized robots
An electricity-conducting, environment-sensing, shape-changing machine the size of a human cell? Is that even possible?
Cornell University physicists Paul McEuen and Itai Cohen not only...
Scientists design bacteria to reflect ‘sonar’ signals for ultrasound imaging
In the 1966 science fiction film Fantastic Voyage, a submarine is shrunken down and injected into a scientist's body to repair a blood clot...
A new population of ancient Native Americans
Genetic analysis of ancient DNA from a 6-week-old infant found at an Interior Alaska archaeological site has revealed a previously unknown population of ancient...
Alcohol damages DNA and increases cancer risk
Scientists have shown how alcohol damages DNA in stem cells, helping to explain why drinking increases your risk of cancer, according to research part-funded...
