Research
Paralyzed woman controls robot with her mind
NEW YORK -- Using only her thoughts, a woman paralyzed for 15 years directed a robotic arm to pick up a bottle of coffee and bring it to her lips, researchers report in the latest advance in harnessing brain waves to help disabled people.
Date: 05/17/2012 | Nation & World
Pour it on: Study ties coffee to longer life
MILWAUKEE — One of life's simple pleasures just got a little sweeter. After years of waffling research on coffee and health, even some fear that java might raise the risk of heart disease, a big study finds the opposite: Coffee drinkers are a little more likely to live longer. Regular or...
Date: 05/16/2012 | Nation & World
Man pleads guilty to stealing U.S. trade secrets
SALT LAKE CITY -- A scientist accused of stealing secret formulas from a Utah chemistry company has pleaded guilty to a federal computer charge.
Date: 05/13/2012 | Nation & World
Test tube babies have higher risks
Test-tube babies have higher rates of birth defects, and doctors have long wondered: Is it because of certain fertility treatments or infertility itself? A large new study from Australia suggests both may play a role.
Date: 05/06/2012 | Nation & World
DNA study: Ancient migrants spread farming in Europe
NEW YORK — Thousands of years ago, farming spread across Europe and replaced the hunter-gatherer lifestyle of early inhabitants. Now a study of ancient DNA says that trend was driven by farmers moving from place to place.
Date: 04/26/2012 | Nation & World
Researcher finds odd lava spirals on Mars
LOS ANGELES — A researcher has spotted lava flows shaped like coils of rope near the equator of Mars, the first time such geologic features have been discovered outside of Earth.
Date: 04/26/2012 | Nation & World
Researchers find alternatives to DNA
DNA and RNA molecules are the basis for all life on Earth, but they don't necessarily have to be the basis for all life everywhere, scientists have shown.
Date: 04/20/2012 | Nation & World
Secret U.S. hypersonic glider lost its skin
LOS ANGELES -- An unmanned hypersonic glider likely aborted its 13,000 mph flight over the Pacific Ocean last summer because unexpectedly large sections of its skin peeled off, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency said Friday.
Date: 04/20/2012 | Nation & World
As women grow older, daughter becomes their favorite
LOS ANGELES -- Gentlemen, take note: If your wife has stopped calling you as much as she used to and you feel like you're being replaced, you might be right to suspect that there's someone else in her life. But it's not another man -- it's another woman. And she's probably your own...
Date: 04/19/2012 | Nation & World
Biologists count penguins from space
LOS ANGELES -- Using space technology to sniff out a telltale trail of penguin poop strewn about the edges of Antarctica, scientists have completed the first-ever census of an animal population taken with satellite imagery.
Date: 04/15/2012 | Nation & World
New fossil suggests a relative of ancient Lucy skeleton
Lucy, that starlet among ancient human relatives, may have shared the stage with a hominin very different from herself, a newly found fossil suggests.
Date: 03/29/2012 | Nation & World
2nd team refutes faster-than-light neutrino find
GENEVA — European researchers said Friday they have measured the speed of neutrinos and found the subatomic particles don't travel faster than light after all, refuting another team's measurements that prompted widespread disbelief among scientists last year.
Date: 03/16/2012 | Nation & World
DuPont case reveals details of China's economic spying
SAN FRANCISCO -- The Chinese call it "Titanium white." And it does make many things white, from the inside of Oreo cookies to the paint on cars. Paper, toothpaste, plastics, cosmetics and just about any other commonplace item colored white includes titanium dioxide.
Date: 03/10/2012 | Nation & World
FAA moves toward allowing unmanned drones in U.S. airspace
WASHINGTON -- The Federal Aviation Administration has taken the first concrete step toward allowing drones to fly alongside passenger airplanes in the United States.
Date: 03/08/2012 | Nation & World
Europe close on 'God particle,' U.S. studies confirm
WASHINGTON — More scientists are getting closer in the search for the "God particle" of physics that would help explain the fundamentals of the universe, but they haven't found it yet.
Date: 03/07/2012 | Nation & World
New study links diesel exhaust to lung cancer
WASHINGTON -- There's new evidence that exposure to exhaust from diesel engines increases the risk of lung cancer.
Date: 03/03/2012 | Nation & World
Navy developing 100-mile cannon for warships
NORFOLK, Va. -- A super-powerful gun that shoots rounds more than 100 miles away -- at several times the speed of sound -- is being developed for Navy warships.
Date: 03/01/2012 | Nation & World
U.S. scratches 747-based airborne laser weapon
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Pentagon has mothballed a laser-equipped Boeing 747 after 15 years and $5 billion worth of research to develop an airborne missile defense system.
Date: 03/01/2012 | Nation & World
‘Hugo' author helps to restore 200-year-old automaton
PHILADELPHIA -- The Franklin Institute's automaton can't help you find a good sushi place, direct you out of a traffic jam or check your bank balance.
Date: 02/22/2012 | Nation & World
Plastic from plants? Science may have found a way
Plastic is anathema to many among the eco-conscious -- but what if manufacturers could stop making so much of it from oil and start making more of it from plants?
Date: 02/17/2012 | Nation & World
Should your doctors tell you the truth? Do they?
WASHINGTON — Trust your doctor? A survey finds that some doctors aren't always completely honest with their patients.
Date: 02/08/2012 | Nation & World
Big solutions in a beaker
Glacier Peak students work with algae to fix big problems
Date: 02/03/2012 | Local News
U.S. engineers create laser-guided bullet
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Sandia National Laboratories engineers have invented a bullet that directs itself to a target like a tiny guided missile and can hit a target more than a mile away, the New Mexico-based lab announced Tuesday,
Date: 02/01/2012 | Nation & World
Everything you need to know about a hangover
LOS ANGELES -- Gearing up for a big night on New Year's Eve? One that will involve some drinking? Then maybe you need a little primer on hangovers, since you could be nursing one soon.
Date: 12/30/2011 | Nation & World
2007 San Francisco oil spill devastated herring, scientists report
LOS ANGELES -- Thick, tarry fuel oil disgorged into San Francisco Bay from a damaged cargo ship in 2007 was surprisingly toxic to fish embryos, devastating the herring population that feeds seabirds, whales and the bay's last commercial fishery, scientists reported Monday.
Date: 12/26/2011 | Nation & World
Rats are nice, not naughty, a new study reveals
WASHINGTON -- Rats don't always act like, well, rats.New experiments show rats demonstrating compassion and helping other rodents. It's a trait some scientists thought was reserved only for humans and higher primates.
Date: 12/09/2011 | Nation & World
Bedbugs can thrive despite incest, research finds
PITTSBURGH -- Bedbugs aren't just sleeping with you. They're sleeping with each other.Researchers now say that the creepy bugs have a special genetic gift: withstanding incest.
Date: 12/08/2011 | Nation & World
Hormones reduce women's risk for hip fracture
LOS ANGELES -- A significant rise in hip fractures among women is one result of the decade-long slide in the popularity of hormone replacement therapy, researchers report.
Date: 11/05/2011 | Nation & World
Don't squander chance for extra sleep on Sunday
DETROIT -- Americans these days sleep fewer than seven hours a night, compared with nearly nine hours a century ago, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Date: 11/05/2011 | Nation & World
U.S. report blasts China, Russia for cybercrimes
WASHINGTON -- Cyberattacks by Chinese and Russian intelligence services, as well corporate hackers in those countries, have swallowed up large amounts of high-tech American research and development data, and that stolen information has helped build their economies, U.S. intelligence agencies have...
Date: 11/04/2011 | Nation & World
Cancer experts cut back on the frequency of screening tests
Annual cancer tests are becoming a thing of the past. New guidelines out Wednesday for cervical cancer screening have experts at odds over some things, but they are united in the view that the common practice of getting a Pap test every year is too often and probably doing more harm than good.
Date: 10/20/2011 | Nation & World
Ancient art supplies found in South African cave
LOS ANGELES -- In a tiny South African cave, archaeologists have unearthed a 100,000-year-old art studio that contains tools for mixing red and yellow rocks with animal fat and marrow to make vibrant paints as well as abalone shells full of dried-out red pigment -- the oldest ancient paint...
Date: 10/14/2011 | Nation & World
3 U.S.-born scientists win Nobel for showing universe expanding at increasing rate
NEW YORK -- Three U.S.-born scientists won the Nobel Prize in physics Tuesday for discovering that the universe is expanding at an accelerating pace, a stunning revelation that suggests the cosmos could be headed for a colder, bleaker future, nearly devoid of light.
Date: 10/04/2011 | Nation & World
Could China have a space station by 2020?
BEIJING -- China launched an experimental module Thursday, marking a significant step in the country's plan to build a space station.
Date: 09/30/2011 | Nation & World
Twitter research: Most wake up happy
Twitter confirms it: People tend to wake up in a good mood and are happiest on weekends.The fast-paced forum is offering scientists a peek at real-time, presumably little-filtered human behavior and thoughts.
Date: 09/30/2011 | Business
Full bladder study, wasabi fire alarm earn Ig Nobel awards
BOSTON — Driving while desperately needing to urinate isn't a crime, but maybe it should be.
Date: 09/29/2011 | Nation & World
Fish use tools, professor's video proves
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — When Jane Goodall went into the jungles of Tanzania in 1960 and returned with news that chimpanzees used tools, obliterating the myth that humans were the only species to do so, many people expressed their wounded pride with disbelief.
Date: 09/28/2011 | Nation & World
Roll over Einstein: Neutrinos travel faster than light
GENEVA — A pillar of physics — that nothing can go faster than the speed of light — appears to be smashed by an oddball subatomic particle that has apparently made a giant end run around Albert Einstein's theories.
Date: 09/22/2011 | Nation & World
U.S. 'supercentenarians' push lifespan limits
Bundled in an sweater and waiting for her morning tea in the nursing home where she lives, Avice Nelson Clarke paused in her recollections of her long-ago childhood in England to make a remarkable understatement.
Date: 09/22/2011 | Nation & World
Dinosaur feathers found sealed in amber
WASHINGTON -- In science fiction, amber preserved the DNA that allowed rebirth of dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. In real life, amber preserved feathers that provide a new image of what dinosaurs looked like.
Date: 09/15/2011 | Nation & World
Arctic sea ice shrinks to second lowest level
WASHINGTON — Arctic sea ice melted this summer to the second lowest level since record-keeping began more than 50 years ago, scientists reported Thursday, mostly blaming global warming.
Date: 09/15/2011 | Nation & World
FDA official questions 'corn syrup, sugar' rebranding
LOS ANGELES — A recent attempt by the corn industry to change the name of a widely used but increasingly controversial sweetener was misleading and could have robbed consumers of important information, a top official at the Food and Drug Administration said in documents obtained by The...
Date: 09/15/2011 | Nation & World
Violent crime, single-serving alcohol sales linked in 2 studies
Violent crime would decline if cities limited the number of liquor stores and banned the sale of single-serving containers of beer and other alcoholic beverages, researchers at the University of California, Riverside said.
Date: 09/14/2011 | Nation & World
Zombie caterpillars rain death on species
LOS ANGELES -- Scientists have isolated a viral gene that induces zombie-like behavior -- in caterpillars. The virus causes gypsy moth caterpillars to climb to the tops of trees, where they die and their disintegrating bodies rain infectious particles on their unsuspecting brethren below.
Date: 09/10/2011 | Nation & World
Company marketing generic line of robots
SAN FRANCISCO -- Tucked into the cluster of business parks surrounding Stanford University, a team of young engineers is assembling a fleet of robots that can fold laundry, bake cookies, flip pancakes and deliver cold beer.
Date: 09/07/2011 | Nation & World
TSA unveils new body scan technology
NEWARK, N.J. -- Newark Liberty International Airport became the first New York-area airport to install body scanning technology that will replace a system that was harshly criticized for invading travelers' privacy by displaying naked images.
Date: 09/03/2011 | Nation & World
Half of Americans drink daily soda, sweet beverage
ATLANTA -- Half of Americans drink a soda or sugary beverage each day -- and some are downing a lot.One in 20 people drinks the equivalent of more than four cans of soda each day, even though health officials say sweetened beverages should be limited to less than half a can.
Date: 09/01/2011 | Nation & World
Harmful bacteria lurk in health care uniforms
LOS ANGELES -- Think your doctor's white coat is as clean as a whistle? It might not be. A study finds that dangerous germs could be lurking on nurses' and doctors' uniforms.
Date: 09/01/2011 | Nation & World
Moderate alcohol use may reduce dementia
LOS ANGELES -- About to uncork that bottle of merlot? A study finds that moderate drinking may decrease the risk of dementia and cognitive decline in older people.
Date: 08/21/2011 | Nation & World
Study finds bacteria from dog feces in Detroit's sky
DETROIT -- Move over, smog. When it comes to stuff in the air over Detroit, a team of researchers has found that in winter, it's bacteria from dog poop that hovers over the city.
Date: 08/21/2011 | Nation & World
Boeing tests military drone submarine off California
LOS ANGELES — An 18-foot, bright-yellow submarine drone is being tested off the coast of Santa Catalina Island for possible use by the U.S. military to stalk enemy waters, patrol local harbors for national security threats and scour ocean floors to detect environmental hazards.
Date: 08/19/2011 | Nation & World
Critters move north, away from global warming
WASHINGTON — Animals across the world are fleeing global warming by heading north much faster than they were less than a decade ago, a new study says.
Date: 08/18/2011 | Nation & World
Scientists put half the blame for Arctic ice melt on human activity
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- About half the recent record loss of Arctic sea ice can be blamed on global warming caused by human activity, according to a new study by scientists from the nation's leading climate research center.
Date: 08/15/2011 | Nation & World
Ancient sea reptile didn't lay eggs
WASHINGTON -- The remains of a giant sea creature are providing the first proof that these prehistoric reptiles gave birth to their young rather than laying eggs.
Date: 08/12/2011 | Nation & World
Test flight of hypersonic experimental aircraft fails
LOS ANGELES -- A test flight of an experimental aircraft traveling at 20 times the speed of sound ended prematurely Thursday morning when the arrowhead-shaped vehicle failed and stopped sending back real-time data to engineers and scientists who were monitoring the mission.
Date: 08/11/2011 | Nation & World
'Amazing' therapy wipes out leukemia in study
NEW YORK — Scientists are reporting the first clear success with a new approach for treating leukemia — turning the patients' own blood cells into assassins that hunt and destroy their cancer cells.
Date: 08/10/2011 | Nation & World
Sperm from mice stem cells offers infertility hope in humans
TOKYO -- A team of scientists has reported producing viable sperm using the stem cells of mice in an experiment that researchers hope could one day lead to treating infertile men.
Date: 08/07/2011 | Nation & World
More strokes plague pregnant women, new moms
Strokes have spiked in the U.S. among pregnant women and new mothers, probably because more of them are obese and suffering from high blood pressure and heart disease, researchers report.
Date: 07/29/2011 | Nation & World
Humans crowded out Neanderthals, researchers say
LOS ANGELES — The Neanderthal never stood a chance. Modern humans who entered Europe may have outnumbered their hominid relatives 10 to 1, a new study has found.
Date: 07/28/2011 | Nation & World
Famed fossil is a dinosaur again
NEW YORK -- One of the world's most famous fossil creatures, widely considered the earliest known bird, is getting a rude present on the 150th birthday of its discovery: A new analysis suggests it isn't a bird at all.
Date: 07/28/2011 | Nation & World
Google is changing your brain, study finds
SAN JOSE, Calif. — A new study confirms it: Google is altering your brain. More precisely, our growing dependence on the Internet has changed how — and what — our brains choose to remember.
Date: 07/15/2011 | Nation & World
It's stressful being the top baboon in the group
LOS ANGELES -- Think it's easy at the top? Turns out chasing females, putting down underlings and generally maintaining one's social status can be very stressful.
Date: 07/15/2011 | Nation & World
Whales, plankton migrate across Northwest Passage
AMSTERDAM -- When a 43-foot gray whale was spotted off the Israeli town of Herzliya last year, scientists came to a startling conclusion: it must have wandered across the normally icebound route above Canada, where warm weather had briefly opened a clear channel three years earlier.
Date: 06/26/2011 | Nation & World
Teenagers cut back on sugary drinks
ATLANTA -- A new study shows one in four high school students drink soda every day -- a sign fewer teens are downing the sugary drinks.The study also found teens drink water, milk and fruit juices most often -- a pleasant surprise, because researchers weren't certain that was the case.
Date: 06/17/2011 | Nation & World
Scientists ID mysterious flash in distant galaxy
LOS ANGELES — Astronomers think they have solved the mystery of an extraordinary flash spied in a faraway galaxy, saying it came from a massive black hole that devoured a star after it wandered too close.
Date: 06/16/2011 | Nation & World
Shingles can increase risk of triggering multiple sclerosis, study finds
LOS ANGELES — A shingles outbreak can nearly quadruple the risk of developing multiple sclerosis in the following year, but the overall risks remain small, Chinese researchers reported Thursday. Viruses are thought to play a role in triggering MS, and herpes zoster virus, which causes...
Date: 06/09/2011 | Nation & World
More Hispanic students finish high school
MIAMI -- A higher percentage of young Hispanic adults is finishing high school, and the number attending a two-year college has nearly doubled over the last decade, according to census data released Wednesday.
Date: 06/09/2011 | Nation & World
NASA's Mars rovers enjoy a friendly rivalry
LOS ANGELES -- NASA's newest Mars rover -- or a replica of it, anyway -- sat expectantly at the bottom of a hill. After years in design and construction, the grandly named Mars Science Laboratory was ready to test its wheels on a 20-degree flagstone slope in the "Mars Yard" at the Jet Propulsion...
Date: 06/09/2011 | Nation & World
Scientists make big leap in DNA-based computing
LOS ANGELES — Caltech researchers have produced the most sophisticated DNA-based computer yet, a wet-chemistry system that can calculate the square roots of numbers as high as 15.
Date: 06/02/2011 | Nation & World
New brain scan shows evidence of wartime bomb blasts
NEW YORK — Servicemen who suffer concussions from wartime explosions struggle with symptoms even though brain scans generally show no damage. Now a specialized type of scan has spotted brain abnormalities in some of these patients.
Date: 06/01/2011 | Nation & World
(34)
