Research News

Researchers say it may be possible to temporarily reduce racial biases.

How To Fight Racial Bias When It's Silent And Subtle

8:00pm July 19, 2013

by Shankar Vedantam

New research suggests that racial disparities and other biased outcomes in medicine, the criminal justice system, and other areas, can be explained by unconscious attitudes and stereotypes. But how do we get rid of subtle racial biases?

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Wood fibers are coated with carbon nanotubes and then packed into small disks of metal. The sodium ions moving around in the wood fibers create an electric current.

Science

All Charged Up: Engineers Create A Battery Made Of Wood

5:08am July 17, 2013

by Joe Palca

This doesn't look like your trusty potato battery: a prototype device made by scientists at the University of Maryland uses wood fibers coated with carbon nanotubes to create an electric current.

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Mind The Teeth: Fossils indicate that Tyrannosaurus rex was an active hunter, in addition to being a scavenger. And in Jurassic Park, it also had a sweet tooth for lawyers.

Science

Om Nom Nom: T. Rex Was, Indeed, A Voracious Hunter

10:44am July 16, 2013

A fossilized tyrannosaur tooth found lodged between bones in a hadrosaur's tail is giving paleobiologists pretty firm clues about the tyrant king's meal plan. And Hollywood may have been right all along — T. Rex definitely knew how to kill.

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Modern Chihuahuas trace their genetic roots in America to back before the arrival of Europeans, a new study suggests.

Science

Barking Up The Family Tree: American Dogs Have Surprising Genetic Roots

8:58pm July 10, 2013

by Rhitu Chatterjee

A few dog breeds indigenous to North America have genetic roots on the continent that stretch back 1,000 years or more. A study finds that their genetic lineages haven't changed much, despite an influx of European pooches.

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This artist's illustration shows Pluto and one of its moons, Charon. A global consortium of astronomers sets the rules for naming things like asteroids and moons throughout the solar system.

Science

Why You Can't Name New Moons And Planets Anything You Want

12:38pm July 09, 2013

by Geoff Brumfiel

Pluto's two newest moons received their official names this week, and the name that led in the popular vote was Spock's home planet, Vulcan. But it was rejected by the international team of astronomers who must approve every title bestowed upon the universe.

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Streptococcus bacteria, like this strain, can be found in our guts.

Gut Bacteria We Pick Up As Kids Stick With Us For Decades

12:38pm July 09, 2013

by Rob Stein

An experimental "gut check" test can tell us more about the bacteria that live inside us. By studying the way the microbial populations change over time, researchers think they may have a new tool for monitoring health.

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Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey sample water in Goodwater Creek, Mo., for pesticides and other chemicals that may have run off from the surrounding land.

What Is Farm Runoff Doing To The Water? Scientists Wade In

12:37pm July 09, 2013

by Abbie Fentress Swanson

Across the Midwest this summer, scientists are wading into 100 streams to collect water samples and check cages for fish eggs. It's part of a large study to understand how pesticides and agricultural chemicals from farms are affecting the nation's streams.

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An ancient wild barley sample recovered from Chogha Golan, Iran.

Farming Got Hip In Iran Some 12,000 Years Ago, Ancient Seeds Reveal

11:46am July 08, 2013

by Rhitu Chatterjee

Archaeologists had considered Iran unimportant in the history of farming – until now. Ancient seeds and farming tools uncovered in Iran reveal Stone Age people there were growing lentils, barley and other crops. The findings offer a snapshot of a time when humans first started experimenting with farming.

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"Liver buds" grow in petri dishes. The rudimentary organs are about 5 mm wide, or half the height of a classic Lego block.

Scientists Grow A Simple, Human Liver In A Petri Dish

9:48am July 04, 2013

The tiny organs created from stem cells aren't complete, but they act like regular livers when transplanted into mice, Japanese scientists say. Still, it will be years before the synthetic organs could help people with liver problems, even if further research all works out as hoped.

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Artistic reconstruction of Archicebus achilles in its natural habitat of trees.

Science

Tiny, Ancient Tree-Dweller Was One Of Earth's Earliest Primates

10:26pm July 03, 2013

by Christopher Joyce

About 55 million years ago, a teacup-sized critter in China was helping to pave the way for apes and humans. This insect eater had fingernails and stereo vision, a newly published analysis of a fossil suggests. And it weighed just 1 ounce.

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