A study in the American Journal of Botany finds that plants can tell if they're next to a relative and will grow to allow the kin more access to light. Cynthia Graber reports.

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A study in the journal Science found that sleeping after learning consolidated the acquisition of the new information, especially if sound cues related to the info were played to the sleeper. Karen Hopkin reports

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A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds that multiple ancient Egyptian mummies show signs of atherosclerosis. Karen Hopkin reports

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Antievolutionist Ray Comfort will be distributing copies of the Origin of Species with a new introduction that misrepresents, misunderstands and distorts Darwin's ideas and legacy. Steve Mirsky comments

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In a study in the journal Nature Geoscience, M.I.T. researchers identify what they believe is the sequence of events whereby arsenic trapped in the sediment of the Ganges Delta is finding its way into the drinking water supply of Bangladesh. Cynthia Graber reports

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Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University want your vote at askabiologist.asu.edu/uglybugs to help them crown the ugliest insect in the world. Adam Hinterthuer reports

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A study in the journal Cell shows that the formation of new memories requires the movement of other memories located in the hippocampus to long-term storage in the neocortex. Karen Hopkin reports

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A study in the journal Analytical Chemistry identifies various organic compounds that old books give off and that can be analyzed noninvasively, offering important clues to an historic work's condition and prognosis. Steve Mirsky reports

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A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that brain chemicals linked to addiction are in play with a high-sugar diet, and a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows that a high-carb diet had lasting mood-elevation effects. Cynthia Graber reports

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A study in the journal Science looks at Heliconius butterflies in Ecuador, in which a single gene change that influences mate choice may be the first step in the splitting of the population into two species. Cynthia Graber reports

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A study in the journal Current Biology finds that babies, because they listen in the womb, cry in distinctive ways that reflect the language spoken by their parents. Karen Hopkin reports, with commentary by Christopher Hopkin

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A study in the Journal of Experimental Biology finds that successful sprinters have longer toes and Achilles tendons that produce less leverage than non-athletes of similar height. Karen Hopkin reports

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A study in the journal Psychological Science finds that people who hear someone nearby sneezing become more concerned in general, not just about catching a cold or flu. Karen Hopkin reports

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A study with roundworms in the journal Cell Metabolism found that a diet rich in sugar offset a mutation that ordinarily doubled the worms' life spans. Rachel Kremen reports

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A study presented at CHEST 2009, the meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians, found that golfers with apnea who got treatment lowered their handicaps by as much as three strokes. Steve Mirsky reports

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A study in the journal Behavioural Processes finds that dogs cannot reliably tell if someone is fibbing to them. Karen Hopkin reports

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A study in the journal Science Translational Medicine details a new procedure for making damaged, donated lungs functional, potentially doubling the number of lungs available for transplant. Cynthia Graber reports

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A study in the journal Psychological Science finds that people in a room recently sprayed with citrus-scented cleanser were fairer and more generous than a control group. Cynthia Graber reports

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A study in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine finds that the ratio of TV sets to exercise equipment in the home is predictive of weight loss success. Karen Hopkin reports

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A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that Americans could easily cut carbon emissions by more than France's entire output. Karen Hopkin reports

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A study in the Journal of Infectious Diseases finds that one major advantage of being warm-blooded is that the great majority of fungi cannot infect us. Karen Hopkin reports

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In a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, researchers found that red wine only clashes with fish if the wine has high levels of iron. Steve Mirsky reports

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In a study presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, researchers found that mice that were exposed to light all night long showed signs of depression. Karen Hopkin reports

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In a study presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, researchers reported that older adults exposed to Web surfing for the first time showed increased brain activity in regions associated with language and working memory. Karen Hopkin reports

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In a study in the journal Science, researchers analyzed the inner workings of Broca's area, long known as the brain's speech center, in pre-op brain surgery patients. Cynthia Graber reports

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In a study in the journal Science, researchers found that the taste buds for sensing sour also respond to carbonated beverages, because the fizz gets turned into chemical components, one of which is protons--basically simple, sour acid. Karen Hopkin reports

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In a study in the journal Science, researchers explain how they used mouse embryonic stem cells and microchip technology to create heart muscle tissue that actually beats. Cynthia Graber reports

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Comedian Bill Maher advises against vaccinations. But actress Amanda Peet--and Dr. Bill Frist--have it right: vaccines are good. Steve Mirsky comments

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In a study in the journal Current Biology, researchers report the discovery of an unusual spider, Bagheera kiplingi, that eschews meat and chews acacia tips. Karen Hopkin reports

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In a study in the journal Cell Metabolism, some mice given antioxidants were more likely to become diabetic, because free radicals help muscle cells respond to insulin. Karen Hopkin reports

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In a study in the journal Science, researchers report the mapping of the three-dimensional structure of the human genome, and the finding that the cell's nucleus is divided into two regions, one where DNA goes to get expressed. Cynthia Graber reports

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In a study in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution, researchers note that the birth control pill may change a woman's choice in whom she finds attractive. Cynthia Graber reports

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The 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry goes to Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Thomas Steitz and Ada Yonath for studies of the protein-manufacturing ribosome, with implications for antibiotic development. Steve Mirsky reports

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The 2009 Nobel Prize in physics goes to Charles Kao of Standard Communications Labs in England and the Chinese University of Hong Kong for the invention of practical optical fiber communication, and George Smith and Willard Boyle of Bell Labs in New Jersey, for inventing the charge-coupled device, the CCD, making digital cameras possible. Steve Mirsky reports

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The 2009 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine goes to Harvard's Jack Szostak, Johns Hopkins's Carol Greider and Elizabeth Blackburn at U.C. San Francisco, for their work on telomeres and telomerase. Steve Mirsky reports

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A study in the Journal of Moral Education finds that parents lie to children regularly, to influence behavior

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On the eve of the Nobel Prize announcements, the Ig Nobel Prizes were awarded at Harvard, for studies into knuckle-cracking and other vital medical and scientific research. Karen Hopkin retorts

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A study in the journal American Surgeon finds that trauma victims who were inebriated at the time of their injury have higher survival rates than their sober counterparts. Rachel Kremen reports

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A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that the population life expectancy actually increased during the Great Depression. Karen Hopkin reports

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A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that champagne's bursting bubbles provide aromatic compounds that add to the taste. Adam Hinterthuer reports

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Irish teenagers Eimear O'Carroll and Rhona Togher have developed a treatment they hope will help people with tinnitus, an unpleasant ringing in the ears. Cynthia Graber reports

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A study in the journal Science shows that monarch butterflies' sun-related directional sensing is governed by antennae, not the brain. Cynthia Graber reports

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Studies in the journal Science report that instruments on three different spacecraft have found evidence for widespread trace amounts of water on the moon. Karen Hopkin reports

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A study with animals in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that alcohol abuse in adolescence leads to a lifetime of poor decision-making skills. Karen Hopkin reports

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In the journal Public Library of Science ONE, researchers report that listening to scary music with eyes shut may intensify the emotional experience. Cynthia Graber reports

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In the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences, psychologist Share O'Mara notes that torture can interfere with the brain's memory retrieval apparatus, making it counterproductive to the aim of producing useful information. Karen Hopkin reports

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In a study in the journal Science, researchers announce the discovery of a dinosaur 125 million years older and one ninetieth the size of T. Rex, but having virtually the same body plan as the giant dino. Cynthia Graber reports

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In a study presented at the European Planetary Science Conference in Potsdam, researchers proposed that salt deposits on the early Earth's volcanic coasts enabled the conversion of amino acids into other important molecules for the start of life. Cynthia Graber reports

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In a study in the journal Nature, researchers report that they have used gene therapy to cure a form of color-blindess in adult squirrel monkeys that lack a visual pigment. Karen Hopkin reports

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A report in the Journal of Applied Gerontology shows that elderly people often discuss health issues with hairdressers, who could encourage clients to seek medical attention. Karen Hopkin reports

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A report in the journal IEEE Transactions on Nanotechnology shows that maple trees generate a small, but measurable amount of electricity, which can power tiny devices. Karen Hopkin reports

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A report in the journal Science announces the finding of the oldest known human-fashioned threads, left in a cave by the Caucasus mountains about 34,000 years ago. Cynthia Graber reports

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A National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration expedition has located a naval vessel lost off North Carolina during World War II's Battle of the Atlantic. Steve Mirsky reports

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A study in the American Journal of Primatology found that chimps wield different tools, each with a specific purpose, when attempting to catch tasty ants. Karen Hopkin reports

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A study in the Journal of Applied Cognitive Psychology shows that handwriting tests could give polygraphs a challenge for lie detection. Cynthia Graber reports

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Allison Beall of the Marshlands Conservancy in Rye, N.Y., led a twilight walk on September 5th to tune in to the insect sounds of the evening. Become more aware of the nocturnal symphony and, in the New York metropolitan area, help scientists count the insects during the "Cricket Crawl" on September 11th. Steve Mirsky reports

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Young brains can forget painful memories, but old ones tend not to. An animal study in the journal Science finds that it may be possible to restore the old brain to its younger, more pliable state. Karen Hopkin reports

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A study in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B finds that pigeon wing-flapping produces distinct whistles, which can warn flock-mates, when merely taking off or when actively escaping predators. Karen Hopkin reports

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A study in the journal Biology Letters finds that music based on monkey's own calls has similar effects on them that human music has on us. Cynthia Graber reports

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A study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal finds that recessions in wealthy countries can lead to better health habits, as people spend less on alcohol, tobacco and rich food. Adam Hinterthuer reports

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