Asexual reproduction is efficient and reliable in many small organisms, so why will some suddenly decide to mate? A rare lab experiment sheds light on the forces that drive the switch to sex...
Two recent papers have proposed possible "first cores"--short-lived objects that give rise to protostars
A new international regime hopes to help reverse the trend of biodiversity loss as well as spur economic growth and research for both industrial and developing nations
The participants of the 36th annual Nikon microscopic photography competition won prizes for minuscule masterpieces rendering really close close-ups of everything from mosquito hearts and rat retinas to soy sauce and soap film...
Women who followed weight, exercise and alcohol consumption guidelines had about the same lowered risk for getting breast cancer, even if they had a strong family history of the disease
Diamond, Mortensen and Pissarides honored for model to help economists study "search frictions"
Psychologists have started testing augmented reality as an enhanced form of virtual reality therapy for specific phobias
The plan emphasizes the need to share knowledge and scientific capacity, and establishes a new type of conservation partnership. But will it work in practice?
Georgia Institute of Technology researchers have described a way of making graphene that preserves the material's conductive properties, an early step toward graphene–silicon electronics...
Changes in the sun's output of various wavelengths of light have been warming the planet recently, contradicting scientists' computer models of the solar cycle
The Rosetta spacecraft got a good look at the large, main-belt asteroid during a July flyby
A new meta-analysis reveals that Parkinson's disease is linked to key genetic deficits in mitochondrial function
Three chemists will share the award for developing chemical reactions that enable the building of complex organic compounds with wide applications in medicine, industry and agriculture
The use of CT and MRIs on people with traumatic injuries jumped threefold in 10 years, leaving some concerned about the long-term effects of increased radiation exposure
One-atom-thick sheets of carbon have been on the scene for just six years but have already drawn a wealth of research interest
Wind farms can change surface air temperatures in their vicinity
Edwards's work with Patrick Steptoe resulted in the first birth of a test-tube baby--Louise Brown in 1978
A new effort to ensure that the government can gain backdoor access to encrypted messages could thwart one of the most promising applications of physics for digital security
A laboratory experiment may have offered the first glimpses of a long-predicted quantum effect known as Hawking radiation
The House of Representatives and the Senate have agreed on a NASA authorization bill, which would catalyze the commercial space industry and add an extra space shuttle flight in 2011
