Nell Greenfieldboyce

Nell Greenfieldboyce appears in the following:

When Spiders Go Airborne, It's Electric — Literally

Thursday, July 05, 2018

Many spiders ply the skies by riding "balloons" of silk. And they rely on something more than just the wind to take them high up and far away.

Comment

Scientists Hope Lab-Grown Embryos Can Save Rhino Species From Extinction

Wednesday, July 04, 2018

Only two northern white rhinos remain, and they're both female. But researchers said Wednesday that they successfully have created embryos using sperm collected from the males before they died out.

Comment

Report For Defense Department Ranks Top Threats From 'Synthetic Biology'

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

A committee of experts examined about a dozen different synthetic biology technologies that could be potentially misused. For each, they considered how likely it was to be usable as a weapon.

Comment

Credibility Concerns Lead NIH To End Study Of Alcohol's Health Effects

Friday, June 15, 2018

Scientists and National Institutes of Health officials met with alcohol company executives and appeared to solicit money from them in violation of government policy. The NIH canceled the study.

Comment

Math Bee: Honeybees Seem To Understand The Notion Of Zero

Thursday, June 07, 2018

Research shows that bees possess a mathematical ability once thought to exist only in dolphins, primates, birds and humans who are beyond the preschool years.

Comment

CDC: U.S. Suicide Rates Have Climbed Dramatically

Thursday, June 07, 2018

Guns are the most common method used for suicide, accounting for the deaths of almost half the people who kill themselves, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study finds.

Comment

Asteroid Impact That Wiped Out The Dinosaurs Also Caused Abrupt Global Warming

Thursday, May 24, 2018

The crash of the space rock that slammed into the Yucatan Peninsula also warmed up the Earth's atmosphere for 100,000 years. And scientists say it's a cautionary tale for people living today.

Comment

Report: Most Former Research Chimps Should Move To Retirement Sanctuaries

Friday, May 18, 2018

A working group convened by the National Institutes of Health looked at where chimps that had been used in research should live now. Unless relocating chimps would endanger them, a sanctuary is best.

Comment

Why Do Some Lizards Have Green Blood?

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Scientists are trying to figure out how green-blooded lizards might benefit from the unusual pigment. The answer could provide new insights into human illnesses like jaundice and malaria.

Comment

Earth's 'Bigger, Older Cousin' Maybe Doesn't Even Exist

Friday, May 11, 2018

In 2015, to great fanfare, NASA announced a planet discovery considered a milestone in the hunt for another Earth. But now some researchers say it's not clear that this planet actually exists.

Comment

You Are Here: Scientists Unveil Precise Map Of More Than A Billion Stars

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

The European Space Agency has released a chart of the exact positions of many stars in the Milky Way and neighboring galaxies. But the map only shows a small fraction of what's out there.

Comment

Get Ready For the Next Big Thing In NASA's Search For Earth's Twin

Sunday, April 15, 2018

NASA is launching a mission to find Earth-sized planets beyond our solar system that scientists can study for signs of life. Scientists already know of over 3,000 planets around distant stars.

Comment

Center Of The Milky Way Has Thousands Of Black Holes, Study Shows

Wednesday, April 04, 2018

The supermassive black hole lurking at the center of our galaxy appears to have a lot of company, according to a new study that suggests the monster is surrounded by about 10,000 other black holes.

Comment

Spending Bill Lets CDC Study Gun Violence; But Researchers Are Skeptical It Will Help

Friday, March 23, 2018

In 1996, Congress limited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's ability to study gun control. That will change with the new budget, but gun violence researchers aren't impressed.

Comment

Government Spending Bill Could Change How Health Agencies Study Guns

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Some say the new appropriations bill contains language that will free up the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to do more gun violence research, but others are more skeptical that anything will change.

Comment

A Chinese Space Lab Will Soon Fall From The Sky. Where It Lands, No One Knows

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Most of the Chinese space lab, the size of a city bus, will burn up in the atmosphere, but some debris may survive re-entry.

Comment

Biologists Trace Genetic Roots Of Evolution, One Cell At A Time

Thursday, March 15, 2018

E.coli bacteria, each cell trapped in a tiny tube, are giving researchers the chance to study the pace and effects of single genetic mutations. Most mutations, the scientists find, aren't harmful.

Comment

Did Dark Matter Make The Early Universe Chill Out?

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

A new study suggests that the early universe got an unexpectedly cold start, and that dark matter may be to blame.

Comment

Why The Last 'Wild' Horses Really Aren't

Thursday, February 22, 2018

A story from the journal Science suggests that the only "wild" horses in existence aren't actually wild at all but rather are the feral descendants of an early domestication.

Comment

Space Enthusiasts Gather In Florida As Powerful Rocket Is Set To Launch

Tuesday, February 06, 2018

Private company SpaceX on Tuesday is set to launch the world's most powerful rocket — the Falcon Heavy. This is a test launch that will carry a cherry red Tesla roadster into orbit around Mars.

Comment