Popular science news: last year

Exotic quantum states: A new research approach

Majorana fermions are then generated at both ends of the atomic chain.

Researchers reconstruct genome of the Black Death

An international team -- led by researchers at McMaster University and the University of Tubingen in Germany -- has sequenced the entire genome of the Black Death, one of the...

NASA's Hubble discovers another moon around Pluto

Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope discovered a fourth moon orbiting the icy dwarf planet Pluto. The tiny, new satellite – temporarily designated P4 -- was uncovered in a Hubble...

Use of vitamin E associated with increased risk of prostate cancer

In a trial that included about 35,000 men, those who were randomized to receive daily supplementation with vitamin E had a significantly increased risk of prostate cancer, according to a...

Scientists find evidence for 'great lake' on Europa and potential new habitat for life

In a significant finding in the search for life beyond Earth, scientists from The University of Texas at Austin and elsewhere have discovered what appears to be a body of...

Gaseous emissions from dinosaurs may have warmed prehistoric earth

Sauropod dinosaurs could in principle have produced enough of the greenhouse gas methane to warm the climate many millions of years ago, at a time when Earth was warm and...

Ancestry of polar bears traced to Ireland

An international team of scientists has discovered that the female ancestor of all living polar bears was a brown bear that lived in the vicinity of present-day Britain and Ireland...

ALPHA stores antimatter atoms for over a quarter of an hour -- and still counting

The ALPHA Collaboration, an international team of scientists working at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland, has created and stored a total of 309 antihydrogen atoms, some for up to 1,000 seconds...

What have we got in common with a gorilla?

Researchers have just completed the genome sequence for the gorilla -- the last genus of the living great apes to have its genome decoded. While confirming that our closest relative...

Human genetics study identifies the most common cause of ALS and dementia

Scientists have made an exciting breakthrough in unraveling the genetic basis of two debilitating neurodegenerative disorders, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Two independent studies, published online by...

Crab pulsar beams most energetic gamma rays ever detected from a pulsar

Astrophysicists have detected pulsed gamma-ray emission from the Crab pulsar at energies far beyond what current theoretical models of pulsars can explain.

Final countdown: Atlantis to carry next-generation vaccine candidate on last space voyage

On July 8, at approximately 11:26 a.m. EDT, the space shuttle Atlantis will streak skyward from the Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A, for one last mission. While the STS-135...

Briny water may be at work in seasonal flows on Mars

Dark, finger-like features that appear and extend down some Martian slopes during the warmest months of the Mars year may show activity of salty water on Mars. They fade in...

Takeoffs and landings cause more precipitation near airports

Researchers have found that areas near commercial airports sometimes experience a small but measurable increase in rain and snow when aircraft take off and land under certain atmospheric conditions.

Most distant quasar found

"This quasar is a vital probe of the early Universe. It is a very rare object that will help us to understand how supermassive black holes grew a few hundred...

NASA satellites Hurricane Irene almost one-third the size of US east coast

Hurricane Irene is a major hurricane, and NASA satellite data shows its diameter is now about one-third the length of the U.S. Atlantic coastline. Meanwhile, far in the eastern Atlantic...

Increased tanning bed use increases risk for deadly skin cancers

Researchers confirmed an association between tanning bed use and an increased risk for three common skin cancers -- basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma, according to results presented...

Record massive black holes discovered lurking in monster galaxies

University of California, Berkeley, astronomers have discovered the largest black holes to date ‑- two monsters with masses equivalent to 10 billion suns that are threatening to consume anything, even...

Tracing the first North American hunters

A new and astonishing chapter has been added to North American prehistory in regards to the first hunters and their hunt for the now extinct giant mammoth-like creatures -- the...

DNA sequencing consortium unveils patterns of mutations in autism

It has long been recognized that autism runs in families, suggesting a substantial genetic component to the disease. Yet few genes have so far been identified and the underlying genetic...

Molecular imaging detects signs of genetic heart disease before symptoms arise

Research being presented at SNM's 58th Annual Meeting shows that molecular imaging is helping to determine the cause and expand treatment for a silent killer. A study focusing on hypertrophic...

What steers vampires to blood

Scientists have known for years that when vampire bats tear through an animal's skin with their razor-sharp teeth, their noses guide them to the best spots – where a precise...