Environment
Waste Amphetamines Alter Underwater Ecosystems
Using an artificial stream system, researchers found that amphetamine residues altered insect and microbial life in aquatic ecosystems. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Stories by Christopher Intagliata
Public Health
A Green Solution to Improve Indoor Air Quality
In 12 hours Dracaena plants removed nearly all the acetone from an airtight chamber, suggesting they might be put to use as air filters in nail salons. Christopher Intagliata reports...
Behavior
Voters Are Seldom Swayed by Local Campaign Stops
A survey during the 2012 election found that bus tours and visits to greasy spoons didn't do much to change voter opinions. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Biotech
Listen to the Sounds of Knees Cracking
Eavesdropping on the creaks and groans of an athlete’s knee could help doctors track healing after injury or surgery.
Space & Physics
Model Black Hole Re-Creates Stephen Hawking Prediction
A black hole analogue, which traps sound instead of light, generates "Hawking radiation," a key prediction by the theoretical physicist. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Computing
Remote Door Controls Are Car Security Flaw
Researchers found that a bad actor could cheaply and easily clone a remote keyless entry system to gain entry. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Environment
Pesticides Act as Honeybee Contraceptives
Environmental concentrations of certain insecticides slashed honeybee drones' living sperm counts. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Neuroscience
Inbred Songbirds Croon out of Tune
Inbred canaries sang songs with less pure tones, and at slightly different pitches, than their outbred cousins—and female canaries seemed to be able to tell the difference. ...
Biology
For Lichens, 3's Not a Crowd
Biologists have identified a third species—a yeast—in some lichens, shaking up what's always been known as a two-party system. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Public Health
Chicken Scent Deters Malaria Mosquitoes
The smell of a chicken wards off one species of malaria-spreading mosquito—meaning the scent compounds, or the birds themselves, might help deter disease. Christopher Intagliata reports...
Climate Change
Fuel-Efficient Engines Have a Sooty Flaw
A newer type of fuel injection offers better fuel economy, but paradoxically increases black carbon emissions—meaning a pollution trade-off. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Biology
Bees Rank Pollen by Taste
The discerning insects returned to flowers with sweetened pollen, but avoided revisiting flowers with bitter pollen. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Cognition
Human Ears Can Hear Better-Than-CD Quality (Just Barely)
Listeners can tell the difference between CD-quality music and better-than-CD quality—but only if they train their ears first. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Environment
City Lights Trick Trees into an Earlier Spring
Urban light pollution in the U.K. is pushing tree springtime behavior a full week earlier than usual. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Space & Physics
Chocolate Makers Cut Fat with Electricity
Reducing fat from chocolate can gum up manufacturing equipment, making low-fat chocolate hard to produce—but an electric field can help. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Public Health
Viruses Hijack the Body's Response to Mosquito Bites
When immune cells rush to the site of a mosquito bite, viruses hijack the cells and turn them into viral factories—in mice, at least. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Weather
Air Pollution Gives Storm Clouds a Stronger, Longer Life
More particulate matter in the air can build stronger, longer-lasting thunderstorms over the tropics, leading to more extreme storms. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Biology
Microbes May Contribute to Wine's "Character"
The microbes found in crushed grapes were linked to certain chemical fingerprints in the finished wine. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Space & Physics
Go to the (White) Light
An energy-efficient alternative to LEDs has greater focusing power, for microscopes and spotlights. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Public Health
Bigger Glasses Rack Up More Wine Sales
Serving wine in larger glasses boosted sales 10 percent in an English bar, possibly because customers think they're imbibing less per glass. Christopher Intagliata reports.
