60-Second Science

Invasive Ladybug Thanks Its Parasite for Competitive Advantage

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:28:08 -0500

Harlequin ladybirds carry a parasite that does not kill them--but does kill other ladybug species that attempt to eat the harlequin progeny. Sophie Bushwick reports

Isolated Reservoir Holds Ancient Water

Wed, 15 May 2013 23:59:08 -0500

Isotopic analysis of fluid seeping from an isolated Canadian underground reservoir indicates that the water has been sequestered for at least 1.5 billion years. Sophie Bushwick reports

Speed Dating Study Yields Conversation Keys

Tue, 14 May 2013 16:13:08 -0500

A study analyzed nearly 1,000 speed dates and their aftermaths to find out what conversational cues work best for people to click. Amy Kraft reports

Riding Technique Affects Horse Force

Mon, 13 May 2013 21:14:08 -0500

Equestrians who use the bouncy "rising trot" actually keep their center of mass more steady when they stand, which reduces the force on the horse's back. Karen Hopkin reports

Ice Cores Reveal Green Arctic

Fri, 10 May 2013 19:14:08 -0500

Analyses of sediment cores show that Arctic summers 3.6 million years ago were a good 8 degrees Celsius warmer than they are today, and supported Douglas fir and hemlock. Sophie Bushwick reports

Elephants Better Beat the Heat--or Else

Tue, 7 May 2013 19:37:08 -0500

With a relatively small surface area to body volume, elephant heat dissipation is limited to the point where extended exertion in the heat can be fatal. Sophie Bushwick reports

Science Tackles Twitter Talents

Mon, 6 May 2013 20:28:08 -0500

Researchers offer tips to racking up Twitter followers, based on an analysis of over 500 active tweeters and their half million tweets during a 15-month stretch. Christopher Intagliata reports

Video Game Play Sharpens Elderly Minds

Fri, 3 May 2013 16:03:08 -0500

Elderly people who played a video game that challenged their brain processing speed showed improvements in executive function compared with those who did crossword puzzles. Amy Kraft reports

Gap Grows between Wanting and Working

Thu, 2 May 2013 15:50:08 -0500

Compared with kids who graduated high school the 1970s, Millennial teens are more interested in material signs of success and less concerned with working to get them. Karen Hopkin reports

Voices Considered Attractive Send Body Cues

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:00:08 -0500

Volunteer listeners expressed preferences for voice qualities that ordinarily correlate with specific body dimensions. Sophie Bushwick reports

Smartphone App System Locates Snipers

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 23:59:08 -0500

A small network of smartphones can analyze rifle shot shockwaves, enabling users to locate the source of the shots. Christopher Intagliata reports

Whales Teach One Another Hunting Skill

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:22:08 -0500

Cultural transmission is behind the recent spread of a hunting technique called "lobtail" feeding among humpback whales off New England. Sophie Bushwick reports

Human Hearts Bleed for Abused Robots

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 19:17:08 -0500

People watching a robot being beaten felt similar emotions as when they watched a human apparently being abused. Sophie Bushwick reports

Poker Players' Arms Give Away Their Hands

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 21:43:08 -0500

Volunteers who watched video of pro poker players could discern the quality of the cards in play by how the players moved their arms when adding chips to the pot. Steve Mirsky reports

Grasshoppers Adjust Calls in Traffic Din

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 12:52:08 -0500

Compared with males that lived someplace quiet, roadside-dwelling grasshoppers selectively boosted the bass notes in their mating calls to be heard above traffic noise. Karen Hopkin reports

Bitter Taste May Battle Asthma

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 22:05:08 -0500

Bitter substances block calcium channels, which can relax the tissue that tightens up during asthma attacks. Sophie Bushwick reports

Fly Cells Divide by the Clock

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:10:08 -0500

Circadian rhythms may influence the timing of cell division, which could inform the timing of some therapies. Christopher Intagliata reports

New Music Tickles or Bores Brain Region

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 07:30:08 -0500

Listeners' reactions to new music were associated with activity in the nucleus accumbens, a section of the brain's pleasure center. Sophie Bushwick reports

Ecotourism Can Be Animals' Pet Peeve

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 14:47:08 -0500

Stingrays that interact with humans at an interactive tourism area change their normal activity patterns and interact with each other more aggressively than animals not dealing with people. Amy Kraft reports

Twitter Reveals Language Geographic Distribution

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 19:42:08 -0500

Location-tagged tweets enabled researchers to calculate the dominant language of any given region, down to neighborhoods in New York City. Sophie Bushwick reports

Bed Bugs Bollixed by Bean

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 10:48:08 -0500

The tiny protuberences on the leaves of the kidney bean plant ensnare the feet of bed bugs, trapping them in place. Christopher Intagliata reports

Warming Planet Means Bumpier Flights

Mon, 8 Apr 2013 10:25:08 -0500

Climate models and turbulence algorithms forecast that, by mid-century, clear-air turbulence will be more violent and transatlantic flights will hit it twice as often. Christopher Intagliata reports

Fat-Fed Fidos Foil Fiends First

Fri, 5 Apr 2013 16:15:08 -0500

Detection dogs fed diets high in fat were better at sniffing out explosives and contraband than dogs given their regular food. Amy Kraft reports

Biological Disciplines Meet to Break, Then Maybe Fix, Bread

Tue, 2 Apr 2013 16:57:08 -0500

At a conference April 9th to 11th, conservation biologists and synthetic biologists will try to find common ground. Steve Mirsky reports

The Price Is Right, but Confusing

Mon, 1 Apr 2013 19:50:08 -0500

Uniform pricing accentuates products' differences, which makes it harder to choose among them. Karen Hopkin reports

Mysterious Desert "Fairy Circles" Caused by Termites

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 14:27:08 -0500

The Namib Desert's strange circular patches of grass with bare centers are the result of termites establishing reservoirs. Sophie Bushwick reports

Physicists Model Mosh Moves

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 20:44:08 -0500

Metal-loving researchers analyzed the collective movement of individuals in mosh pits, which could help explain mass movements in other extreme situations. Sophie Bushwick reports

Gum Chewing May Improve Concentration

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 19:51:08 -0500

Volunteers who chewed gum during an exercise focused and remembered number sequences better than non-gum chewers. Amy Kraft reports

Internal Clocks Tell Roosters It's Crow Time

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 14:54:08 -0500

Circadian rhythms tell fowl to crow at dawn, even if the birds can't see the sun come up. Sophie Bushwick reports

Thinkers Talk about Nothing

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 13:33:08 -0500

The subject was nothing at the Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Steve Mirsky reports

Olive Oil Fills Better Than Other Fats

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 13:16:08 -0500

Trial subjects who ate olive oil versus other kinds of fats felt fuller and had higher blood levels of serotonin. Christopher Intagliata reports

Noisy Ships Creep Out Crabs

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 23:59:08 -0500

The cacophony of ships at sea is stressing shore crabs and could be bothering other marine life. Amy Kraft reports

Caimin In, the Water's Fine

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 23:59:08 -0500

Fossil caiman skulls found in Panama raise questions about the distance between South and Central America at the beginning of the Miocene epoch. Sophie Bushwick reports

Winter Cholesterol Rise May Boost Heart Risk

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 23:59:08 -0500

Cholesterol levels go up in winter even in sunny climes, perhaps due to less exercise and dietary changes. Christopher Intagliata reports

Workplace Injuries May Rise Right after Daylight Saving Time

Fri, 8 Mar 2013 15:52:08 -0500

The Monday after the change to daylight saving time is marked by an increase in work-related injuries, probably due to lack of z's. Steve Mirsky reports

Birds Need Tune to Stay Current

Wed, 6 Mar 2013 19:19:08 -0500

Savanna sparrows that kept up with the changes in their species's calls over the years had higher rates of reproductive success than the birds who sang the same old song. Amy Kraft reports

New Moms May Need New Shoes

Tue, 5 Mar 2013 12:15:08 -0500

A study of 49 women bears out a common observation: pregnancy can lengthen and widen a woman's feet. Christopher Intagliata reports

Cold-Comfortable Mice Point to New Analgesics

Mon, 4 Mar 2013 21:45:08 -0500

Genetically engineered mice that can't feel cold are a step toward drugs that dull pain without numbness. Karen Hopkin reports

Sourdough Bacteria Pump Out Mold Killers

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 19:35:08 -0500

The sourdough bread bacteria Lactobacillus hammesii produces antifungal compounds as it digests bread flour. Christopher Intagliata reports

Corn's Influence on Culture Bumped Farther Back

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 21:41:08 -0500

New data show that maize was a staple in Peru as early as 5,000 years ago and probably helped fuel the cultural leap during what's called the late Archaic period. Sophie Bushwick reports

Nathan Myhrvold Shares Cooking-Science Tips

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 05:00:08 -0500

The former chief technology officer at Microsoft, co-founder of Intellectual Ventures and co-author of Modernist Cuisine talks simple tips for making cooking for scientific. Steve Mirsky reports

Astronaut Talks about Being in Untethered Hot Spot

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 19:57:08 -0500

Michael Barratt, who spent 199 days on the ISS, told kids at the annual meeting of the AAAS how a spacewalker whose line snaps can still get back to the station. Steve Mirsky reports

Human Skin Depigmented More Than Once

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 12:48:08 -0500

Human skin became more pigmented in response to high UV and less pigmented later--on independent occasions--in response to less. Steve Mirsky reports

Warmer Waters Make Weaker Mussels

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:25:08 -0500

New research shows that mussels' attachment fibers weaken in warm water. As climate change raises ocean temperatures, these shellfish may be forced to cooler waters. Calla Cofield reports

Third Molars Illustrate Differential Reproduction

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 10:35:08 -0500

Physical anthropologist Alan Mann talked about third molars as a case study in human evolution at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston

Earth-Like World May Be Just 13 Light-Years Away

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 06:00:08 -0500

Researchers estimate that 6 percent of red dwarf stars may be orbited by Earth-like planets, including a candidate 13 light-years off. Karen Hopkin reports

Hanging with Smarties Ups GPA

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 06:00:08 -0500

High-school students whose friends get higher marks tend to raise their own grade-point averages over time. Karen Hopkin reports

Too Much Salt Gets Bitter and Sour Involved

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 17:00:08 -0500

Overly salted food activates the taste cells that sense sourness and bitterness, sending unpleasant signals to the brain. Sophie Bushwick reports

Bioexplorers Find Tongue's Taste Bud Factory

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 11:55:08 -0500

By looking for markers associated with other stem cells, scientists have identified the parental cells that give rise the cells that carry our receptors for taste. Karen Hopkin reports

New Antidote Puts Muscle into Cyanide Defense

Fri, 8 Feb 2013 22:10:08 -0500

Sulfanegen TEA is an intramuscular cyanide antidote, which could be employed in mass poisoning cases with more alacrity than existing IV antidotes. Christopher Intagliata reports

Ant Pupae Signal Status with Sound

Thu, 7 Feb 2013 16:13:08 -0500

Developing ants cannot yet waft pheromones, but have been discovered to be able to produce distinctive calls to claim their social status within the colony. Marissa Fessenden reports

Organic Gases Help Cloud Formation

Wed, 6 Feb 2013 15:23:08 -0500

Organic gases gases coat aerosolized particles in the atmosphere, enhancing their potential to form cloud droplets. Karen Hopkin reports

Virtual Superpower Experience Increases Helpful Attitude

Tue, 5 Feb 2013 23:09:08 -0500

Test subjects who could fly like Superman through a virtual reality simulator were more likely to help somebody after the flight. Sophie Bushwick reports

Good Grammar Makes Bad Password

Mon, 4 Feb 2013 06:00:08 -0500

A grammatically correct textual password is easier for algorithms to crack than one that with bad grammar. Christopher Intagliata reports

Killer Kitties Wreak Critter Havoc

Fri, 1 Feb 2013 23:59:08 -0500

Cats kill some up to 3.7 billion birds and 20.7 billion small mammals in the U.S. each year. Sophie Bushwick reports

Dog Evolution Included Getting the Starch in

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 19:37:08 -0500

A comparison of the dog and wolf genomes finds that dogs have genetic changes that allow them to digest starches, which might have eased their way to becoming man's best friend. Karen Hopkin reports

Crustacean Brain May Process Pain

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 20:13:08 -0500

Crabs' ability to remember a shock and avoid it is consistent with the ability to feel and remember pain, rather than being a simple reflex. Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports

Syringe Design Change Could Cut HIV Transmission

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 23:35:08 -0500

HIV transmission due to needle sharing could be greatly reduced by changing syringe design to ensure less trapped blood. Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports

Researchers A-C-T on DNA Storage

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 06:52:08 -0500

Using a technique with multiple accuracy checks, researchers have stored large amounts of digital information on tiny volumes of synthetic DNA. Sophie Bushwick reports

Dung Beetles Use Milky Way to Guide Movement (Heh)

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 12:10:08 -0500

On moonless nights, dung beetles apparently use the Milky Way's band of light as a navigation guide. Christopher Intagliata reports

Genome Donators Can Be Sleuthed Out

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 14:05:08 -0500

Using publicly available information, researchers found they could figure out the identities of 50 individuals who had loaned their genes to science. Karen Hopkin reports

Take 2 and Call Me after 19 Centuries

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 19:23:08 -0500

An analysis of pills recovered from a shipwreck off the coast of Italy reveals them to contain zinc compounds that were probably used as eye medication. Sophie Bushwick reports

Standard Kilogram Needs Trimming

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 21:00:08 -0500

Contaminants have made the standard kilogram weigh slightly more than it originally did, but a careful cleaning method may slim it down. Sophie Bushwick reports

App Turns Smart Phone into Key

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 14:00:08 -0500

An app turns your smart phone into a smart key by using Near Field Communication, NFC, to send data wirelessly over short distances. Christopher Intagliata reports

Fake Fecal Transplants for Gut RePOOPulation

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 16:50:08 -0500

A laboratory-made slurry of healthy bacteria could replace human fecal matter in stool transplants to treat bacterial infections. Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports

Wrinkled Fingers Are Not Slippery When Wet

Wed, 9 Jan 2013 19:09:08 -0500

Volunteers were more adept at handling wet objects when their fingertips had gotten waterlogged to the point of being wrinkled than when their fingers were dry. Karen Hopkin reports

Milky Way May Contain 100 Billion Planets

Tue, 8 Jan 2013 08:25:08 -0500

Based on exoplanet observations made using the Kepler space telescope, astronomers estimate that our galaxy's ratio of stars to planets is at least one to one. Karen Hopkin reports

Cup Color Tricks Taste Buds

Mon, 7 Jan 2013 22:53:08 -0500

The same hot chocolate served in an orange cup was rated more "chocolaty" than when it was served in cups of other colors. Christopher Intagliata reports

Bigger Brains Come at a Cost

Fri, 4 Jan 2013 19:26:08 -0500

Guppies bred for larger brains also had smaller guts and produced fewer offspring. Sophie Bushwick reports

Bonobos Share with Strangers First

Thu, 3 Jan 2013 21:15:08 -0500

Bonobos will readily share food, but they'll offer it up to a strange bonobo before they give it to a member of their known group. Sophie Bushwick reports

Drones Accelerate Archaeological Site Mapping

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 18:37:08 -0500

A drone aircraft can acquire in minutes data for a 3-D map of an archaeological site that would have taken humans years to gather. Cynthia Graber reports

Forest Canopy Color Reveals CO2 Uptake

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 12:03:08 -0500

Tree leaf color provides a good proxy for photosynthetic productivity, indicating how much carbon dioxide a tree is sequestering. Karen Hopkin reports

Humidity Levels Explain U.S. Flu Winter Peak

Thu, 27 Dec 2012 12:59:08 -0500

In temperate regions the influenza virus fares best when the weather is dry. Karen Hopkin reports

Telecommuters Work Longer Hours Than Office-Goers

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 14:00:08 -0500

Census stats show that people who work at home at least some of the time put in more hours each week than those who stay at the office. Karen Hopkin reports

British Frozen Dinners Beat TV Chefs' Recipes for Nutrition

Tue, 25 Dec 2012 23:59:08 -0500

Recipes in cookbooks written by British television chefs had more calories and less fiber than frozen meals manufactured by British supermarket chains. Sophie Bushwick reports

Slow and Steady Wins the Staircase Workout

Mon, 24 Dec 2012 23:59:08 -0500

People who climb stairs one at a time burn more calories per staircase than do those who bound two stairs at a time. Rose Eveleth reports

Perennial Flu Vaccine Gets Closer

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 07:40:08 -0500

A vaccine aimed at the stable M2 flu virus protein, rather than the variable H or N proteins, could be useful every year. Christopher Intagliata reports

Norovirus Survives Restaurant Dishwashing Protocols

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 19:00:08 -0500

Dishwashing protocols designed with food-borne bacteria in mind didn't cut the mustard in a test with noroviruses, which cause nasty gastrointestinal illnesses. Karen Hopkin reports

Whales Sing When and Where They Wanna

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 21:00:08 -0500

Humpback whales sing complex songs even when diving and foraging, when it's neither the time nor place for mating behavior. Sophie Bushwick reports

Better Bitter Tasters Bust Bacteria

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 21:02:08 -0500

Those who can better detect bitter flavors may also be better equipped to fight off upper respiratory tract bacterial infections. Mary Harris reports

Low-Tech Wastewater Treatment Recipe Features Onions

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 23:59:08 -0500

Powdered onions sopped up most of the lead, iron and tin in wastewater samples laden with the metals. Christopher Intagliata reports

Deeper-Voiced Women Have Election Advantage

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 19:01:08 -0500

In mock elections between female candidates the deeper voice carried the vast majority of the votes. Christopher Intagliata reports

Humans Said Cheese 7,500 Years Ago

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 12:57:08 -0500

Milk fat residue on pottery shards shows that people were purposefully making cheese at least 7,500 years ago. Sophie Bushwick reports

Scats Reveal Gorilla Diet Stats

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 10:57:08 -0500

Via carbon isotope measurement, what comes out of a gorilla reveals an accurate estimate of what went into the gorilla. Karen Hopkin reports

Porcupine Quills Inspire Better Needles

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 17:31:08 -0500

The barbs on porcupine quill tips let them penetrate flesh with less force and hold on with more force than a barbless needle. Sophie Bushwick reports

Cave Artists Had Leg Up on Moderns

Fri, 7 Dec 2012 15:42:08 -0500

A comparison of prehistoric and more recent art reveals that early humans had a better grasp of quadruped locomotion. Sophie Bushwick reports

We Listen with Our Hands, Too

Thu, 6 Dec 2012 18:47:08 -0500

Hearing action words can cause subtle motor responses--but context is key. Daisy Yuhas reports

Bird Nest Ciggy Butts Lower Parasite Load

Wed, 5 Dec 2012 18:18:08 -0500

Mexico City birds that decorate their digs with discarded cigarette butts are less bothered by parasites. Karen Hopkin reports

Mercury Dumped in Ocean Returns in Fog

Tue, 4 Dec 2012 18:36:08 -0500

Trace amounts of mercury dumped in the Pacific possibly during gold rush days are being carried back on land in fog from the ocean. Christopher Intagliata reports

Parrots Mimic Other Specific Parrots

Mon, 3 Dec 2012 23:59:08 -0500

Parrots appear to purposely imitate the calls of other individual parrots from which they wish to get a response. Karen Hopkin reports

Researchers Sequence Sweet, Juicy Genome

Sat, 1 Dec 2012 07:00:08 -0500

A consortium has published the complete genome of a top fresh fruit--the domesticated watermelon. Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports

Photosynthetic Bacteria Pick Best Light

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 20:19:08 -0500

Blue-green algae (really bacteria) can fine-tune their photosynthetic apparatus to take advantage of the predominant wavelength of ambient light. Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports

Meat Allergy Reaches Regions without Ticks

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 13:24:08 -0500

Experts aren't sure why a meat allergy linked to tick bites is reaching areas beyond the ticks' range. Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports

Crocodile Skin Confers Delicate Touch Sense

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 14:57:08 -0500

The bumps that cover the skin of crocodilians are full of nerve endings that are exquisitely sensitive to pressure and vibration. Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports

Olfactory Overload Causes White Smell

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 13:25:08 -0500

Combining a wide variety of odors gives rise to a nondescript scent, just as combining colors of many wavelengths generates white light. Karen Hopkin reports

Old Book's Wormholes Show Geographic Origin

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 19:12:08 -0500

By measuring wormholes in ancient texts, researchers can identify the larval attackers and then limit the origin site for the individual book. Rose Eveleth reports

Other Great Apes May Have Midlife Crises

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 21:00:08 -0500

Zookeeper ratings of the moods of 500 chimps and orangutans revealed that our closest relatives also show a U-shaped curve of life satisfaction. Karen Hopkin reports

Placebos Work Better on Stoics

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 20:12:08 -0500

Placebo painkillers do less for people who tend toward hostility and work best for the naturally resilient. Karen Hopkin reports

Wormy Monkeys Had Healthier Intestines

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 23:22:08 -0500

Infecting monkeys with helminth worms lessened the symptoms of their version of inflammatory bowel disease. Christopher Intagliata reports

Rats Direct Inhalations for Smell Focus

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:37:08 -0500

Rats change the way air flows across the insides of their nostrils to direct the scent to the nasal region where it can be best detected. Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports