Imagine no more gridlock, road rage and drunk driving—and 90 percent fewer car accidents. You could well be able to sit back and enjoy the ride sooner than you think, according to the engineers who are designing our cars ...
Hi Tech & Innovation
Jan 21, 2015
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25
Darwin was not a fan of social insects, or at least not of those you're likely to step on or be stung by. Some of these critters—notably ants and termites, and certain wasps, bees and aphids—exhibit a high degree of social ...
Plants & Animals
Jan 13, 2015
19
16
When food goes bad and starts to become pungent, it is most often due to the growth of spoilage microbes such as bacteria, yeasts and mold. Odors can come from two sources: chemicals that are released from the food as the ...
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 16, 2014
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0
Does the American public condone torture when the goal is to prevent terrorist attacks? News headlines reporting the results of a Pew Research Center poll released on Dec. 9 indicate more than half of Americans do. But that ...
Social Sciences
Dec 15, 2014
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0
We're awash in tiny nanoparticles. Some are components of car and truck exhaust; others are manufactured intentionally for products ranging from cosmetics to electronic devices. Most are only a few nanometers in size—roughly ...
Plasma Physics
Dec 3, 2014
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0
A plump Eastern spadefoot toad sits placidly in a patch of meadow on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Nearby, researchers Rachel Jania and Bryan Windmiller are house hunting for it, trying to figure out if the meadow might make a ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 18, 2014
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Until a couple years ago, Shaun Paul's knowledge of chia was limited to the kitschy terracotta Chia Pet figurines. But recently, chia seeds, promoted as a nutritional powerhouse, have earned a growing consumer following and ...
Other
Nov 18, 2014
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0
Are genetically engineered foods safe? Truth is, we probably don't know. "The scientific debate is not resolved, even though many people are claiming it is," says Sheldon Krimsky, the Lenore Stern Professor of Humanities ...
Biotechnology
Nov 7, 2014
2
1
It's July and a cargo ship, laden with some 70,000 tons of coal, is slowly wending its way from Russia to China across the top of the world. This ship is functional, not beautiful; it's longer than two football fields and ...
Earth Sciences
Oct 23, 2014
19
0
If you believe the best-seller lists, the biggest bad in the supermarket aisles is not fat or sodium or sugar, but wheat. We have been warned that eating wheat makes our bellies fatter and triggers diseases ranging from diabetes ...
Other
Oct 3, 2014
1
1
