Stories by JR Minkel

King me! Top computer scientist proves perfect play leads to draw, recounts battle for world championship, gets kinged

Pattern of skull variation bolsters the case that humans took over from earlier species

Astronomers are sure they finally spotted water vapor in the atmosphere of exoplanet

A high magnification scan of the heavens may have captured faint light from 13-billion-year-old galaxies

A crescent of electrical activity spotted in rats may allow researchers to map the depressed brain

"Second coming" of HIV cocktails may slow the spread of drug-resistant virus

Cassini data indicates moon is riddled with holes

New theory calls into question whether we'll ever know what the universe was like before the big bang

Bacterial enzyme turns the tables on deadly retrovirus

Mysterious lunar flashes match up geographically with puffs of radon gas

Taste testers prefer tomatoes that carry a flavor-enhancing gene

As predicted, experiment will skip a planned test run

Splotches of mercury may be the first example of weather on a star

A human protein that evolved to combat a past infection may have left us vulnerable to the virus that causes AIDS

Small dish of silver-coated liquid may be first step to giant liquid telescope on the moon

Clot busting drug reduces number of amputations from severe frostbite

Researchers propose electric jet engines powered by superconducting magnets

Researchers close in on a small quantum computer built from loops of superconducting metal

Tiny slice of genome reveals bustling activity in the gaps between genes

Scientists may have turned mouse skin cells into embryolike stem cells, but prior claims for the power of adult cells have yet to stand the test of time

Physicists vow to cut the cord between your laptop battery and the wall socket—with just a simple loop of wire

Success may help erase practical hurdles—if not ethical ones—to cloning human embryonic stem cells to study and treat degenerative disorders

Economists say balancing the pain of loss with the right amount of money could lead to more rational court awards

Colon tumors seem to contain stem cell¿like cells that keep the cancer going