SSS 2010-07-02

Sometimes it seems theres only so much we can learn about dinosaurs. We cant know what their coloration looked like, we cant watch them interact with each other. We can only extrapolate from their remains. But now scientists say we can discern a hint

SSS 2010-07-05

Teachers get exasperated at studentsthey dont pay attention, theyre sleepy, they have bad attitudes. But improvement could be a matter of timingjust start school later. Thats according to a study in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

SSS 2010-07-06

Die-hard advocates of alternate energy might fantasize about cars that could one day run on water. But scientists in India have gone a step further. Theyve mathematically modeled an engine that should allow a motorcycle to run on aircompressed air, t

SSS 2010-07-07

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science. Im Karen Hopkin. This will just take a minute. When it comes to elections, sometimes we vote with our heads and sometimes with our hearts. But scientists at Stanford say we might also be voting with our

SSS 2010-07-08

More carbon dioxide emissions lead to more CO2 dissolving in the oceans, which turns the water acidic. Those sour seas slow the growth of corals. And it turns out acidic seawater also makes clownfish and damselfish suicidally bold and reckless, accor

SSS 2010-07-09

City planners and citizens alike frequently push for better public transportation. They argue that it can lessen traffic and reduce emissions from cars. Now theres a new reason to be gung-ho about public transitit helps make people skinnier. Thats ac

SSS 2010-07-12

Being beautiful has its advantages. It can make you more popular, even make you seem more competent. Now, University of Haifa researchers have found that, if youre a politician, good looks will also make you seem more newsworthy. Because better-looki

SSS 2010-07-13

Some bacteria have adapted to super cold environments for millions of years. And scientists have isolated some of the essential genes that allow bacteria to tolerate their harsh living conditionsbecause these same genes might help in the creation of

SSS 2010-10-12

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science, Im Karen Hopkin. This will just take a minute. Youve tried everything to lose weight: portion control, fasting, liquid diets, even eating meals on a treadmill. Now, a new study suggests that maybe you s

SSS 2010-07-15

Clothing is so yesterday. I mean, really, what can it do? It cant pick up sound, or beep at us if somethings wrong. Or can it? M.I.T. researchers say theyve developed a fiber that would allow clothing to eventually do those things. Their study is in

SSS 2010-07-16

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science. Im Steve Mirsky. Got a minute？ Whaddya get when you cross a planet with a comet? Well, HD 209458b looks like a candidate. Its a gas giant planet also called Osiris, and its orbiting so close to its st

SSS 2010-07-19

New York Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte had to leave Sundays game against Tampa in the third inning because of a strained groin. He thus slightly beat the odds. Because his injury happened after the All-Star Game, which was last Tuesday. And a new stu

SSS 2010-07-20

A couple of studies on perception. First, theres now visual data to back up the idea that everything looks kinda gray when you feel blue. Researchers examined how the retina responds to different black-and-white contrast situations. They did the test

SSS 2010-08-02

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science. Im Cynthia Graber. This will take just a minute. As many of us broil in August heat, the Mars Rover Spirit is hunkered down to survive a far more brutal seasona Martian winter. Spirits been on Mars sinc

SSS 2010-08-03

Why arent there more women physicists, and in senior positions? One factor may be unconscious biases that could keep women physicists from advancingand may even prevent women from going into physics in the first place. Amy Bug, a physicist at Swarthm

SSS 2010-08-04

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science. Im Adam Hinterthuer. Got a minute？ Heres a possible blood pressure remedy. But its only for those who can stand the heat. Its capsaicin, the active ingredient in peppers like habaneros that should pro

SSS 2010-08-05

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Cynthia Graber. This will just take a minute Declining frog populations are considered an indicator of environmental damage. But new research finds that frogs might be doing even worse than we thou

SSS 2010-08-06

One of the concerns about working with genetically modified crops has been that vegetation growing in agricultural fields might escape out into the world. Now, for the first time in the U.S., researchers report a large population of GM crops beyond t

SSS 2010-08-09

Blue whales off the California coast make calls that, sped up 10 times, sound like (sound of two-part call). The original is a wall-rattling frequency too low for us to hear. Scientists analyzed around 2,500 of those calls, and found that the second

SSS 2010-08-10

Thats what it might sound like if I had a tongue stud, hitting my teeth. Maybe youve seen people with studs in their tongue clicking it up against their front teeth, a move known as playing. But it turns out that the habit may destroy some smiles. Un