Science

Age-related fumbles of memory are often feared as early signs of Alzheimer's dementia, but recent research confirms an important difference. The underlying biology of the two sorts of memory loss aren't the same. And the age-related form may be reversible someday.

A decade ago, cranes that had never before migrated followed the lead of an ultralight plane to learn the route south. Several generations later, old cranes are teaching young birds to navigate that same route. It's a clue that migration is a combination of nature and nurture, researchers say.

The Earth's average annual temperature has been rising for decades, but not in the last 15 years — colder winters and hotter summers notwithstanding. Now scientists offer evidence that this "pause" in average warming is because a cooler Pacific is temporarily taking up more heat than usual.

The doyenne of TV chefs imparted much wisdom to American cooks, but one piece of Child's advice you should ignore is to wash your raw poultry before cooking. It spreads germs. Everywhere. Yet studies suggest 90 percent of Americans do it, so food safety researchers are launching a campaign to squash the habit.

New technology is revolutionizing disabled peoples' ability to have the kind of outdoor adventures many had before losing functionality in their limbs. Amputees and people with spinal cord injuries are now off-road hand cycling, rock climbing and whitewater kayaking. Companies making innovative new gear describe cool recent innovations and challenges they're still working on. Disabled adventurers experienced and new to the scene talk about liberation through technology.

If Kansas farmers keep pumping water out of the High Plains aquifer as they have in the past, the amount of water they can extract will start to fall in just 10 years or so, scientists predict. That will cause big changes in the agricultural economy. But reducing water use now could help delay and ease that disruption.

Known for its sparkling turquoise waters and white sand, Spain's Mediterranean beaches are developing a new reputation — for a growing number of jellyfish. Scientists blame overfishing and, possibly, climate change for the spike in stinging invertebrates.

For bakers, turning a doughnut into a doughnut hole is simple. For a mathematician, it's impossible.

Climate skeptics point to 15 years of no warming trend as a reason to doubt global warming. But Kevin Trenberth at the National Center for Atmospheric Research can explain a good bit of that temperature plateau — and he argues the Earth has continued to warm appreciably, even though our thin blanket of atmosphere hasn't.

A new scientific report claims that a powerful quake can, in effect, be contagious. The finding could have important implications for hazard planning in earthquake zones.