Growing Vocal Cords
Attempting to grow vocal cords in the lab to replace damaged ones in the body.
Burning Coal Beds
Underground coal seams catch on fire and burn for years
Listening to Twisters
Infrasound instruments can detect tornadoes long before traditional means
Anthrax vs. Cancer
Genetically engineered anthrax toxins kill cancer in mice w/o harming healthy tissue
Houses and Environment
Increase in number of households harm the environment more than increasing populations
Pain Sensitivity
Women are more sensitive to pain than men -- probably because a protein called GIRK-2 doesn't function as well in women
Senior Citizen Stories
Control over retirement, schmoozing with friends and eating fish help cognitive preformance in older people
Vitamin C Origin
Researchers have teased out the gene that makes vitamin C in strawberries, and found it increases other plant's ability to make vitamin C as well
Mars Dust Devils
Dust devils spotted and sensed by Pathfinder on Mars -- much like Earth counterparts
Songbird Brains
Mathematical equations describing neurons in bird brains that control birdsong
Weird Earth Science
Pasta is being used to model earthquake faults, and the mystery of a disappearing lake is solved.
Mummy’s Curse
An epidemiological study shows that King Tut's tomb did not have a curse.
Bacterial Builders
Engineered bacteria make a protein that can lay down a pattern of circuits on a computer chip.
Scratching
Why is scratching pleasurable? (To encourage you to get rid of an irritant)
Rock Art Acoustics
Echoes may have inspired ancient people to paint on cave walls.
Sympathy and Simians
Sympathy involves reenacting someone else's mental state, and orangutans show evidence of culture.
Turtle Roadkill
Enough turtles get killed while crossing roads each year to hurt the species.
Adolescent Slowdown
Kids entering puberty have a harder time processing emotional information.
Drying Dishes
Why does plastic dry faster than glass? (Because water beads on plastic, lowering the surface area for evaporation.)
Ice Cream Tech Roundup
Acoustic freezer for ice cream parlors cools with sound, and a wireless sensor monitors organ transplants.
Gas Giant Origins
A new model for the formation of gas giant planets explains why so many have been discovered recently.
Horse Bones
Getting design ideas for aircraft parts by studying the holes in horse bones