SSS 2010-03-01

Big cats or wolves seem like scaled-up versions of the tabby or terrier sleeping on your sofa. But the proportions do subtly change as animals get larger. For one thing, big animals feet are smaller relative to their bodies than are smaller beasts. B

SSS 2010-03-02

When an ocean liner starts taking on water, what governs whether its women and children first or every man for himself? According to a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, mens altruistic versus self-serving behavior depends

SSS 2010-03-03

Sometimes scientific discoveries are hidden in museum specimen drawers and old journal articles. In two studies in the journal Science, researchers who went through the stuff in institutional attics offer new insights into the development and diversi

SSS 2010-03-04

The food industry leads the nation in pounds of waste produced annually. So, whats second? Its health care facilities. They dispose of more than four billion pounds of waste each year. Another shocker? A lot of that waste is perfectly functional. In

SSS 2010-03-08

So, theyre scanning your items at the grocery store, and when the last tomato gets bagged youre stunned at the cost. How did you spend so much? Maybe those cherries were 12 bucks a pound. Or maybe you should have paid more attention to what you put i

SSS 2010-03-09

Last week, the new Advanced Research Projects Agency for energy held its inaugural conference in Washington, D.C.a direct response to a growing sense that the U.S. is losing its technology lead when it comes to the race for cleaner ways to produce an

SSS 2010-03-10

You know how uncomfortable it feels when you really have to go to the bathroom? And you have to hold it in? If researchers get their way, disease-carrying mosquitoes will spend their last moments being that uncomfortable. Cornell University scientist

SSS 2010-03-11

Think arranged marriages are loveless? Not so, says psychologist Robert Epstein, a contributing editor for Scientific American MIND magazine. He spoke March 10 at the 92nd Street Ys Tribeca site in New York City: And theres even a study published in

SSS 2010-03-12

Dont forget to move your clocks forward this weekend. And then dont forget to be more careful in the days after you adjust your clocks. Because a recent study found that the hour of lost sleep was related to increased job-related injuries. Probably b

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 2010-03-16

They say that who you hang out with says a lot about who you are. Well, the microbes that hang out on your fingers can point to exactly who you are. Because scientists at the University of Colorado in Boulder have been able to identify individuals ba

SSS 2010-03-17

The American Museum of Natural Historys Hayden Planetarium hosted a discussion of the future of manned space flight on March 15th. Retired Air Force General Lester Lyles was asked about the militarys interest in space: Its the high ground. Its the ul

SSS 2010-03-18

Humans are pegged to a 24-hour cycle. We're locked into it not just by day and nighttheres the master timepiece in the brain called the circadian clock. But it doesn't make sense to live by a 24-hour clock in the Arctic, where it's dark or light for

SSS 2010-03-29

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. Im Christie Nicholson. Got a minute. Innocent? Or guilty? As any judge can tell you, its not so simple. What was going on the defendants mind is important. Underlying intent is a pretty big deal when i

SSS 2010-03-30

This is Scientific American's 60-Seconds Science. I'm Karen Hopkin. This will just take a minute. Elephants. Theyre the SUVs of the animal kingdom. Theyre big and rugged, and can carry lots of cargo. And now a study in the Proceedings of the National

SSS 2010-03-25

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. Im Karen Hopkin. This will just take a minute. The Last Supper. The final time that the apostles shared a meal with Jesus. They gathered together, listened to a sermon and really chowed down. At least

SSS 2010-03-24

Here are two seemingly unrelated facts. One: from the late 1940s through 1963, we tested atomic bombs in the atmosphere. Two: wine lovers are sometimes duped into spending exorbitant amounts for fake vintage bottles that werent from the year they wer

SSS 2010-03-23

Ever get a sour stomach after your morning coffee? Well, you might end up switching to a dark roastbecause that coffee concoction may leave you with a happier tummy. That's according to the research presented at the American Chemical Society meeting

SSS 2010-03-22

Were nice to our families. From an evolutionary perspective, that makes sense. But what makes us deal fairly with strangers? One theory holds that the development of large societies necessitated the creation of fairness, through institutions such as

SSS 2010-03-26

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. Im Cynthia Graber. This will just take a minute. Buildings consume about a third of the energy and two-thirds of the electricity in the U.S. Roofs are a good place to try to cut those figures. Because