SSS 2010-04-14

One main goal in the renewable energy field is to find an efficient, inexpensive way to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen could then be used as a fuel source for vehicles or fuel cells. Typically, an electric current breaks the water

SSS 2010-03-15

The Texas Board of Education has long promoted the teaching of creationism in schools instead of actual science. Its former chairman and current member Don McLeroy uttered this immortal line when confronted with numerous actual scientists urging that

SSS 2010-08-12

Ahhh, sleep. Theres nothing better than a nice, long, uninterrupted [LOUD NOISE]. Awwgh. I cant sleep when theres [NOISE]. But dya ever notice: noise [NOISE] doesnt wake everyone. Now scientists have a better idea why. Because sound sleepers show a c

SSS 2010-08-16

This is Scentific American's 60-Second Science, I'm Steve Mirsky, got a minute? At Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County, California, a plant called Tidestroms lupine is holding on for dear life. Its survival has been threatened by the appear

SSS 2010-08-17

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Karen Hopkin. This will just take a minute. Most of us know we should rein in our energy use. But to be successful, it'd help if we knew the best way to do it. So scientists asked more than 500 peo

SSS 2010-08-18

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Cynthia Graber. This will just take a minute. Shakespeare noted that a worm may eat a king, after that king is dead. Sadly, parasitic worms infect people who are still alive, especially kids. Publi

SSS 2010-08-19

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Karen Hopkin. This will just take a minute. When you think of someone who's trusting, you may assume that theyre gullible. But that's not necessarily truea fact that your Pollyanna pal might be in

SSS 2010-09-01

Theres been an unexpected development in our understanding of drug resistance in bacteria. The accepted scenario was a simple case of evolutionary selection. In a bacterial population exposed to a killer drug, a few lucky individuals might have a gen

SSS 2010-09-02

We all know that elephants arent really scared of mice. But a new study shows that theyre really not crazy about something even smaller: ants. In fact, elephants dislike ants so much that they avoid acacia trees that harbor the tiny, six-legged necta

SSS 2010-09-03

Diseases can spread quickly. Someone with a cold infects a few casual contacts, who in turn infect others. Ideas can also spread that way, along so-called random networks. But Damon Centola at MIT says that ideas and beliefs spread faster and more ef

SSS 2010-09-06

In 1980, a scientist looking at bone fragments under an ultraviolet microscope noticed the bones were glowing greena hallmark of the antibiotic tetracycline. The drug latches onto calcium and gets deposited in bone. Nothing unusual. Except these bone

SSS 2010-09-07

Always finding excuses to skip the gym? Congratsyou might be able to blame your genes. Because the mere desire to exercise may be inherited, at least in mice. So says a study in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The experiment started b

SSS 2010-09-08

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science, Im Molly Webster. Got a minute? Some consumers buy organically grown foods because they believe the products are healthier, tastier and better for the environment. But is this assessment true? To find o

SSS 2010-09-09

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. Im Karen Hopkin. This will just take a minute. The first time you visit your boyfriends place, he no doubt tidies up, to give you the illusion that he doesnt live like an animal. Well, animals, too, ca

SSS 2010-09-10

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Christopher Intagliata. Got a minute? Bookshops and DVD stores are closing up. No surprise, because who would pay more at the store when you can get it cheaper online? Well, a bunch of Caltech unde

SSS 2010-09-13

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science. Im Christopher Intagliata. Got a minute? On September 10th we reported that people will pay more for snacks within reach. Now, another finding for the shopping science fileswhen you're trying to decide

SSS 2010-09-14

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science. Im Cynthia Graber. This will just take a minute. We expect scientists and doctors to be upfront about whether papers they publish may line their purses. But according to a recent study in the Archives o

SSS 2010-09-15

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science, Im Cynthia Graber. This will just take a minute. Glaciers slowly grind their way over mountains and plains, moving immense boulders and carving out fjords. Thats true in temperate regions, where glacier

SSS 2010-10-01

A lot of smartphone apps can help you out if you let them access your phone's GPS. But even if you give permission, do you know everything they're doing with that information? Some computer scientists wanted to find out. So they modified the Android

SSS 2010-10-04

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science, Im Steve Mirsky.Got a minute? The 2010 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine goes to 85-year-old Robert Edwards of England, for the development of in vitro fertilization. The Karolinska Institutes Chris