Research News

Several fragments of this unusual rock were discovered last year in Morocco. It's been hailed as the first meteorite from the planet Mercury, but where it came from in the solar system isn't certain.

Science

Origin Of 'Mercury' Meteorite Still Puzzles Scientists

8:18am April 12, 2013

by Geoff Brumfiel

The rock found in Morocco was even weirder than it looked. The olive green chunk, speckled with white and brown, has chemical and physical properties similar to the planet Mercury. But some experts doubt that the 4.56-billion-year-old meteorite is from the planet closest to our sun.

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A technique for imaging the brain allowed researchers to distinguish between physical and emotional pain.

How Much Does It Hurt? Let's Scan Your Brain

3:16pm April 11, 2013

by Rob Stein

Researchers say they can measure how much pain someone is experiencing and even watch as prescription painkillers relieve it. The scanning technique could help doctors treat pain better, but the work is also fraught with questions about how the technology could interfere with the relationship between doctors and patients.

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Scientists hope a new genetically modified rat will help them find Alzheimer's drugs that work on humans.

Genetically Modified Rat Is Promising Model For Alzheimer's

7:34pm April 09, 2013

by Jon Hamilton

Drug companies have developed several Alzheimer's drugs that seemed to work in mice but did not help people with the disease. So scientists inserted human genes into rats in hopes of getting a better model for testing the drugs.

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If you know some mice that took This Is Spinal Tap too literally, they might want to know about an experiment to restore hearing with a failed Alzheimer's drug.

Alzheimer's Drug Dials Back Deafness In Mice

8:34am April 08, 2013

by Jon Hamilton

An experimental drug developed to fight Alzheimer's disease partially reversed hearing loss caused by exposure to extremely loud sounds, researchers say. The results apply only to mice, but scientists are encouraged by the fact that the medicine caused new hair cells to grow in the animals' inner ears.

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Building Synthetic Tissues from Water Droplets?

4:54pm April 05, 2013

Reporting in Science, Gabriel Villar and colleagues have turned tiny water droplets into cooperating networks that can pass electrical signals and do mechanical work. Villar says that in theory, water droplet networks could be used as artificial tissues.

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A window into dreams may now be opening.

Researchers Use Brain Scans To Reveal Hidden Dreamscape

2:57pm April 05, 2013

by Rob Stein

Philosophers, poets and psychologists have long shared a fascination with dreams. Now Japanese scientists have scanned the brains of dreaming volunteers to create a lexicon of imagery that can be used to detect and decode dreams while a person sleeps.

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This bacterium-like microbe, Archaeoglobus fulgidus, seen here in a false-color image, can live in the high temperatures found near deep-sea vents. They can also survive by consuming perchlorate, a chemical used in rocket fuel.

Science

Some Deep-Sea Microbes Are Hungry For Rocket Fuel

9:36am April 05, 2013

by Geoff Brumfiel

Some of the tiniest critters inside the harsh, otherwordly vents at the bottom of sea are unlike almost anything on Earth. They don't need oxygen to thrive — they can use rocket fuel. The discovery is a hint that our planet's first microbes probably sucked up whatever chemicals they could to survive.

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Science

The Remarkable Biodiversity Of Belly Buttons

10:42am April 04, 2013

Scientists at the Belly Button Biodiversity Project wanted to engage the public. They started to culture the bacteria in people's navels as a way to remind them about the life living on their bodies. In the process, they discovered diverse organisms, some of them completely new to science.

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Astronauts work to install the alpha magnetic spectrometer on the International Space Station on May 26, 2011.

Science

Sensor On Space Station May Have Seen Hints Of Elusive Dark Matter

8:50pm April 03, 2013

by Geoffrey Brumfiel

The finding could be a milestone in the decades-long search for the universe's missing material. But some scientists urge caution, saying it's possible the particles seen by the sensor on the International Space Station could have come from somewhere else.

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A worker stands on top of a storage bin on July 27, 2011, at a drilling operation in Claysville, Pa. The dust is from powder mixed with water for hydraulic fracturing.

Sand From Fracking Could Pose Lung Disease Risk To Workers

1:50pm April 01, 2013

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

The sand is pumped underground along with water and other chemicals to extract oil and natural gas trapped deep in rock. But researchers found that air samples taken at some drilling sites contained high enough levels of very fine silica particles to be dangerous to workers.

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