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Author Archives: Stephen Ornes

Infection time

By Stephen Ornes / June 14, 2013

Salmonella bacteria (pink) invade a defense cell in the body. The severity of the infection may depend on the time of day the germs are introduced to the body, new research suggests. Credit: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Disease is more severe when it hits in the morning, at least in mice

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Alec Davidson, bacteria, chronobiology, Circadian clock, food poisoning, fruit flies, getinvolved, infection, Irvine, Laura Roden, Manuela Raffatellu, mice, Morehouse School of Medicine, Paolo Sassone-Corsi, plants, rhythm, Salmonella, South Africa, University of California, University of Cape Town

Flu in the air

By Stephen Ornes / June 13, 2013

This illustration shows a flu virus as if it were cut in half. The outside is made of protein. The inside contains genetic material. A new study suggests tiny, long-lasting airborne particles that contain this germ cause at least half of all flu cases. Credit: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Germs tiny enough to pass through surgical masks may cause half of all cases

Posted in Body & Health, Microbes, Fungi & Algae | Tagged aerosols, Bangkok, Benjamin Cowling, College Park, coughing, disease, Donald Milton, flu, getinvolved, hygiene, infection, infectious disease, Influenza, particles, public health, School of Public Health, sneezing, surgical masks, University of Hong Kong, University of Maryland, washing hands

Old, cold moss grows again

By Stephen Ornes / June 6, 2013

Scientists prod new growth from a plant buried for centuries

Posted in Plants | Tagged Arctic Circle, biology, C14, Canada, carbon, carbon-14, Catherine La Farge, elements, Ellesmere Island, getinvolved, glacier, Little Ice Age, moss, nitrogen, radioactivity, radiocarbon dating, topstories, University of Alberta

An itch switch

By Stephen Ornes / June 5, 2013

Itchy skin sends a signal to your brain. Scientists have now identified a key player in that process. Credit: iStockphoto

Scientists identify a chemical that helps the brain know where to scratch

Posted in Body & Health | Tagged brain, getinvolved, Glenn Giesler, itch, Jr., Mark Hoon, mice, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, nerve, neuron, neurotransmittors, NIDCR, Santosh Mishra, scratch, spinal cord, Twin Cities, University of Minnesota

Black hole mysteries

By Stephen Ornes / May 29, 2013

Nothing, not even light, can escape a black hole. Though black holes are invisible, they can create brilliant light shows. This illustration shows a black hole devouring a star. Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/CI Lab

Scientists are just getting to know the black holes that help anchor our cosmos

Posted in Physics, Space | Tagged astronomy, astrophysics, Big Bang, black holes, Cambridge, Chandra, clusters, cosmology, cosmos, event horizon, feature, galaxies, galaxy, gravity, Harvard University, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, HST, Hubble Space Telescope, Jonelle Walsh, Julie Hlavacek-Larrondo, mass, NGC 1277, radiation, Ryan Chornock, Sagittarius A*, space telescope, spaghettification, Stanford University, stars, supernova, topstories, universe, University of Texas, X-rays

A mind for math

By Stephen Ornes / May 19, 2013

A child’s talent for learning math may relate to the size and wiring of different parts of the brain. Credit: iStockphoto

A part of the brain associated with making memories may also predict success in learning math

Posted in Brain & Behavior | Tagged brain, brain scans, Carnegie Mellon University, cognitive science, Columbia, David Geary, getinvolved, hippocampus, IQ, Kaustubh Supekar, learning, math, mathematics, MRI, neuroscience, Palo Alto, Pittsburgh, Robert Siegler, Stanford University, topstories, University of Missouri

Light dancing on glass

By Stephen Ornes / May 15, 2013

This image, taken with a powerful microscope, shows tiny, individual crystals of bismuth telluride. A new structure made from this material lets light travel easily and without interruption along its surface. Credit: A13ean/Wikipedia

New type of material lets light travel across its surface without interruption

Posted in Light & Radiation, Physics, Technology & Engineering | Tagged conductor, Cornell University, crystal, electrons, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany, getinvolved, Haifa, insulator, Ithaca, Jacob Taylor, Joint Quantum Institute, light, materials science, Michal Lipson, Mordechai Segev, New York, photons, physics, superconductor, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, topological insulator, topology, University of Maryland

Honey’s hidden helper

By Stephen Ornes / May 9, 2013

A new study identified compounds in honey that help bees fight off germs. Credit: Jack Dykinga, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org

Scientists identify a substance in honey that helps bee bodies fight poisons

Posted in Animals | Tagged bee, colony collapse disorder, Dennis vanEngelsdorp, detox genes, entomology, gene, getinvolved, honey, honeybee, nectar, p-coumaric acid, pollen, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Maryland in College Park

American cannibals

By Stephen Ornes / May 8, 2013

Artists and scientists worked together to create this sculpture that shows what Jane, a colonial American, might have looked like. A study of the teen’s remains indicates she was cannibalized after she died. Credit: StudioEIS, Don Hurlbert/Smithsonian

Skull fragment suggests starving colonists may have eaten one of their own

Posted in Ancient Times | Tagged anthropology, archaeology, bones, cannibal, cannibalism, colonial, Douglas Owsley, forensics, getinvolved, history, hunger, James Horn, Jamestown, Jamestown Rediscovery Archaeological Project, shin, skull, Smithsonian Institution, starvation, topstories, William Kelso, Williamsburg

Motion in the ocean

By Stephen Ornes / May 3, 2013

Scientists say pulsing corals make their motion to bring in needed nutrients. Credit: M. Kremien et al/PNAS 2013

Scientists figure out why pulsing corals pulse

Posted in Animals | Tagged algae, animal behavior, Australian Institute of Marine Science, coral reef, corals, getinvolved, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Katharina Fabricius, marine ecology, Maya Kremien, nutrition, photosynthesis, reef ecology, xeniid

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