60秒科学:Gene for Disease Has Healthy Flip Side

Gene for Disease Has Healthy Flip Side A study in the journal Science finds that the gene for anemia-causing G6PD deficiency also protects against malaria, thereby keeping the gene active in populations. Cynthia Graber reports Sickle cell disease is

60秒科学:Call Me Melville, Based on New Word Use

Call Me Melville, Based on New Word Use A study in the New Journal of Physics finds that writers leave a regular, distinct pattern of how frequently they use new words. Cynthia Graber reports Thieves may leave fingerprints at the scene of a crime. Bu

60秒科学:Gene Stops Ovaries from Testifying

Gene Stops Ovaries from Testifying A mouse study in the journal Cell finds that a gene in females must remain active throughout her life to keep her ovaries from turning into testes. Karen Hopkin reports Little girls are made of sugar and spice and,

60秒科学:Stradivari's Violin Secret? His Talent

Stradivari's Violin Secret? His Talent A study in the journal Angewandte Chemie that looked at the varnish used in Stradivarius instruments found nothing unusual, leading the researchers to conclude that Stradivari was just a master craftsman who had

60秒科学:Newspapers Worldwide Call for Climate Change Acti

Newspapers Worldwide Call for Climate Change Action On the first day of the Copenhagen climate conference, 56 newspapers publishing in 20 languages in 45 countries publish an unprecedented joint editorial calling for meaningful action to face the thr

60秒科学:Backyard Feeders Driving Bird Evolution

Backyard Feeders Driving Bird Evolution A study in the journal Current Biology finds that backyard bird feeders in Britain are responsible for splitting central European blackcap warblers into two distinct populations that may be on their way to beco

60秒科学:Black Hole Quasar Building Galaxy

Black Hole Quasar Building Galaxy A study in the journal Astronomy Astrophysics finds that a distant quasar, powered by a black hole, is building a galaxy that will eventually surround the black hole. Cynthia Graber reports Which came first, black ho

60秒科学:Fitness Linked to Smartness

Fitness Linked to Smartness A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that men's cardiovascular fitness at the age of 18 is a marker for later academic achievement. Karen Hopkin reports Any school kid can tell you: nerds ar

60秒科学:Language Immersion Impedes Access To Native Tongu

Language Immersion Impedes Access To Native Tongue A study in the journal Psychological Science finds that students learning a new language in a total immersion environment had reduced access to their original language. Steve Mirsky reports Adults ca

60秒科学:NASA Scanner Offers Clues To Whale Hearing

NASA Scanner Offers Clues To Whale Hearing Researchers at UC San Diego and San Diego State University have imaged whale skulls in an attempt to determine the effects of sonar on whale hearing. Cynthia Graber reports It really is rocket scienceresearc

60秒科学:Amygdala's Acidic Aspiration Answer

Amygdala's Acidic Aspiration Answer A study in the journal Cell shows that the buildup of carbon dioxide when we stop breathing causes a pH change that signals proteins in the brain to force us to inhale. Karen Hopkin reports. Maybe its happened to y

60秒科学:Thanksgiving Dinner Could Stop Black Friday Shopp

Thanksgiving Dinner Could Stop Black Friday Shopping A study in the Journal of Marketing Research finds that the traditional Thanksgiving meal may affect brain chemistry in such a way as to lessen the likelihood of impulse buying during Black Friday'

60秒科学:DNA Testing to Help Sharks Keep Fins

DNA Testing to Help Sharks Keep Fins In a study in the journal Endangered Species Research, shark fins on sale were shown to be from a specific region in which shark populations have collapsed, evidence that may help change fishing regulations. Cynth

60秒科学:Butterfly Shows Speciation Signs

Butterfly Shows Speciation Sign A study in the journal Science looks at Heliconius butterflies in Ecuador, in which a single gene change that influences mate choice may be the first step in the splitting of the population into two species. Cynthia Gr

60秒科学:Apnea Treatment Improves Golf Game

Apnea Treatment Improves Golf Game A study presented at CHEST 2009, the meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians, found that golfers with apnea who got treatment lowered their handicaps by as much as three strokes. Steve Mirsky reports The

60秒科学:Resuscitating Lungs for Transplant

Resuscitating Lungs for Transplant A study in the journal Science Translational Medicine details a new procedure for making damaged, donated lungs functional, potentially doubling the number of lungs available for transplant. Cynthia Graber reports E

60秒科学:Judging a Book by Its Odor

Judging a Book by Its Odor A study in the journal Analytical Chemistry identifies various organic compounds that old books give off and that can be analyzed noninvasively, offering important clues to an historic work's condition and prognosis. Steve

60秒科学:Diet and the Brain

Diet and the Brain A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that brain chemicals linked to addiction are in play with a high-sugar diet, and a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows that a high-carb diet had last

60秒科学:Finding Room for New Memories

Finding Room for New Memories A study in the journal Cell shows that the formation of new memories requires the movement of other memories located in the hippocampus to long-term storage in the neocortex. Karen Hopkin reports We all love getting some

60秒科学:Darwin in Battle of Wits against Unarmed Man

Darwin in Battle of Wits against Unarmed Man Antievolutionist Ray Comfort will be distributing copies of the Origin of Species with a new introduction that misrepresents, misunderstands and distorts Darwin's ideas and legacy. Steve Mirsky comments No