WRAL.com - AP Science News

Study illuminates star explosion from 16th century

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:08:30 -0500

More than 400 years after Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe challenged established wisdom about the heavens by analyzing a strange new light in the sky, scientists say they've finally nailed down just what he saw.

Scientists ask: Is technology rewiring our brains?

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:08:19 -0500

What does a teenage brain on Google look like? Do all those hours spent online rewire the circuitry? Could these kids even relate better to emoticons than to real people? These sound like concerns from worried parents. But they're coming from brain scientists.

Greenhouse gas emissions increase in US

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:01:16 -0500

The amount of U.S. greenhouse gases flowing into the atmosphere, mainly carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels, increased last year by 1.4 percent after a decline in 2006, the Energy Department reported Wednesday.

Study raps Web sites touting stem cell therapies

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:11:44 -0500

Consumers should be wary of Web sites from clinics that offer stem cell treatments, says a study that found a lack of firm medical evidence to back up their claims. The Web sites in the study generally portrayed their therapies as safe, effective and ready for routine use, but published research doesn't support that "overoptimistic" picture, the study authors said.

Body-swap illusion tricks mind in new study

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:02:18 -0500

Shaking hands with yourself is an amusing out-of-body experience. The illusion of having your stomach slashed with a kitchen knife, not so much. Both sensations, however, felt real to most participants in a Swedish science project exploring how people can be tricked into the false perception of owning another body.

Multitasking canola: A California miracle crop?

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 05:16:05 -0500

A hardy but pedestrian plant is doing triple duty in California's agricultural heartland.

Search for ivory-billed woodpecker to begin anew

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 05:02:04 -0500

Last year, Allan Mueller thinks he saw the elusive ivory-billed woodpecker. The wildlife biologist wants to make sure of it this winter.

Dirty teeth reveal ancient diet

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:02:04 -0500

Thanks to poor dental hygiene, researchers are getting a more detailed understanding of what people ate thousands of years ago in what is now Peru.

Space shuttle glides to safe landing in California

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 03:32:05 -0500

Space shuttle Endeavour slipped out of a brilliant desert sky and touched down safely in California after a nearly 16-day mission to repair and upgrade the international space station.

Food crunch opens doors to bioengineered crops

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 16:38:23 -0500

Zeng Yawen's outdoor laboratory in the terraced hills of southern China is a trove of genetic potential - rice that thrives in unusually cool temperatures, high altitudes or in dry soil; rice rich in calcium, vitamins or iron.