Archive: 2009

It's that time of year when schedules somehow seem three times more full with work, school, and social gatherings, but the days seem shorter. On TV and in newspapers, articles appear weekly on ways to reduce holiday stress. Holiday cheer and spending…

As the holiday season approaches, you may be starting to consider gifts for family or friends. A good choice this year might be a product that incorporates the clever technology called "electronic paper," known best for its use in Amazon's Kindle, one of…

code at the ends of the chromosomes is maintained as cells divide. Drs. Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Carol W. Greider, and Jack W. Szostak shared this most prestigious prize for work they did in the 70's and 80's on the "caps" at the ends of chromosomes.…

The organelles of a cell are akin to the rooms of a house. Just as a kitchen is for cooking and bedrooms are for sleeping, distinct organelles are host to different cellular events, too. This division of labor enables cells to complete tasks more…

If you feel like you've been seeing more pregnant women lately, your eyes are not deceiving you. According to the US Census, August is the month with the highest number of births. During pregnancy, the fetus relies on its mother's diet to sustain its…

As Major League Baseball prepares to take a hiatus for the All-Star Break, many people are reflecting back on a season in which some of the biggest names in baseball have been tainted by the steroid scandal. Only time will tell what steroids will do to…

Viruses, small biological particles that have the ability to reproduce, have been around far longer than even humans, existing for billions of years. Unlike living organisms, viruses cannot reproduce independently; rather, they depend on the infection of…

From the initial sparks of human agricultural activity 12,000 years ago, to the flames of the industrial revolution in the late 19th century, and now the present conflagration of our globalized society, human activities have fundamentally altered the…

Have you wondered where all the complimentary peanuts on plane trips have gone? Although the economy has forced airlines to cut expenses, it would seem peanuts are no longer in vogue. But why is that?

Although the Obama administration is still in its infancy, important strides have been made to fulfill the promise President Obama made in his inaugural address to, "restore science to its rightful place." First, the $787-billion economic stimulus…