Josh Haner/The New York Times
Victor Valenzuela selects wheat plants for breeding at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Mexico.
As global warming puts stresses on farmers feeding a growing world population, financing to develop new crop varieties and new techniques has been slow to materialize.
Ask the Reporter a QuestionWorld Science Festival
Wielding Genomes in the Fight Against Cancer
By DENISE GRADY
World Science Festival
Speakers at the World Science Festival event, "Salon: Genetics and Cancer," on Friday morning included Eric Lander, Mary-Claire King, Emily Senay, Siddhartha Mukherjee and Charles Sawyers.
Experts at the World Science Festival mused on individualized therapies, global involvement in clinical trials and the potential of genetic research to find a cure. Hint: It could take a while.
A Double Helix of Art and Science
By DENNIS OVERBYE
The five-day World Science Festival is a smooch-fest between science and art.
Interview With Brian Greene and Tracy Day, Festival FoundersOBSERVATORY
In Penguin Huddle, Researchers Find a Wave of Warmth
By SINDYA N. BHANOO
A coordinated movement allows every emperor penguin a chance to move from the colder outer region of the huddle into the warmer inner region.
OBSERVATORY
Protein-Rich Diet Helps Gorillas Keep Lean
By SINDYA N. BHANOO
Protein makes up about 17 percent of the total energy intake for mountain gorillas in Uganda. That’s close to the 15 percent protein intake the American Heart Association recommends for people.
OBSERVATORY
Treasure Is Found Deep in a Gold Mine: A New Worm
By SINDYA N. BHANOO
A tiny nematode from a shaft of the Beatrix mine in South Africa is the first known multicellular organism to dwell at such depths.
Chemicals in Farm Runoff Rattle States on the Mississippi
By LESLIE KAUFMAN
Runoff from the Mississippi River that has agricultural chemicals in it threatens to create the largest dead zone ever in the Gulf of Mexico.
Shuttles, Turning Sedentary, Leave Pieces Behind for Science and Safety
By HENRY FOUNTAIN
As NASA gets its space shuttles ready to be shipped out to museums, crews have been flooded with requests to squirrel away parts of the spacecraft for analysis.
Science Times: May 31, 2011
Groundwater Depletion Is Detected From Space
By FELICITY BARRINGER
Scientists have used small variations in the Earth’s gravity to identify trouble spots around the globe where people are making unsustainable demands on groundwater.
A CONVERSATION WITH ELLEN BIALYSTOK
The Bilingual Advantage
By CLAUDIA DREIFUS
Among other benefits, the regular use of two languages appears to delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease symptoms.
Inspectors Pierce Iran’s Cloak of Nuclear Secrecy
By WILLIAM J. BROAD
The world’s atomic watchdog unveiled new details of what they call “possible military dimensions” of Iran’s nuclear program.
Graphic: New Evidence on Iran’s Nuclear Aspirations
Despite Advances, Tornado Forecasts Show Limits
By GUY GUGLIOTTA
Tornado fatalities have declined steadily, but many of the circumstances that were beyond science in 1953 are still beyond science today.
Health News
Brain Injuries Are Seen in New Scans of Veterans
By DENISE GRADY
A study may explain why some people exposed to blasts have symptoms despite normal CT and M.R.I. scans.
Report Finds Inequities in Payments for Medicare
By ROBERT PEAR
A National Academy of Sciences panel says formulas for reimbursing doctors and hospitals are deeply flawed.
THE DOCTOR’S WORLD
30 Years In, We Are Still Learning From AIDS
By LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN, M.D.
The fight against the disease has altered medicine, shaped research and highlighted the challenges that remain.
More Multimedia
An Ecological Ambassador
According to the owl researcher Denver Holt, snowy owls are a charismatic ambassador to the world to warn of problems caused by climate change.
INTERACTIVE FEATURE: What Makes Music Expressive?
What makes music expressive? Quiz yourself based on new research.
Readers’ Photos: A Family’s Best Friend?
Photos and stories of pets that were viewed differently by family members.
Rock-Paper-Scissors: You vs. the Computer
Test your strategy against the computer in this rock-paper-scissors game illustrating basic artificial intelligence.
A Grass-Roots Fight to Save a ‘Supertree’
By SHARON LaFRANIERE
This spring, outraged by plans to uproot hundreds of trees to make way for a new subway line, thousands of Nanjing residents mobilized to oppose the action.
WEEK IN REVIEW
Under the Sea, Coral Reefs in Peril
By JOHN COLLINS RUDOLF
Coral communities are dying around the world. Scientists point to a warmer and increasingly acidic ocean as the cause.
‘An Empire of Ice’
By EDWARD J. LARSON
Reviewed by JENNIFER A. KINGSON
In time for the 100th anniversary of the conquest of the South Pole, a history of Antarctic exploration through the lens of science.
GREENTECH
Batteries That Can Multitask
By STEVEN ASHLEY
Engineers are looking into building electric vehicles with carbon composites that can also serve as batteries. The materials could make the vehicles lighter as they also provide extra electricity.
Bulb In, Bulb Out
By ANDREW RICE
A 100-year old technology that is essential to modern life is about to be snuffed out. Yikes.
Getting to the Tundra
June 1, 2011
Life at the Edge of the Verde Island Passage
May 31, 2011
Questions on Climate Change and the Food Future
June 4, 2011
Damaging the Earth to Feed Its People
June 4, 2011
U.S. Orders TransCanada to Shut Pipeline
June 3, 2011
Science Columns
Q & A
The Squeaky Joint
By C. CLAIBORNE RAY
Considerable research shows that ingesting fish oils can help reduce stiffness in those with rheumatoid arthritis.
OBSERVATORY
Gaining Perspective, Small and Large, With Dolls
By SINDYA N. BHANOO
Researchers used cameras and a doll to open a window on how people interpret the world around them.
OBSERVATORY
Sloppiness Aside, Dogs Are Sophisticated Drinkers Too
By SINDYA N. BHANOO
A report last year on cats’ gravity-defying lapping mechanism surmised that dogs just crudely scoop up liquids. Not so, researchers now say.
OBSERVATORY
Fossil Extends Life Span of a Marine Predator
By SINDYA N. BHANOO
A well-preserved specimen indicates that anomalocaridids, the largest animal species of the Cambrian period, lived 30 million years longer and grew much bigger than previously thought.
Health Columns
PERSONAL HEALTH
A Good Night’s Sleep Isn’t a Luxury; It’s a Necessity
By JANE E. BRODY
There always seems to be something keeping us awake.
REALLY?
The Claim: A Diet High in Protein Is Bad for Your Kidneys
By ANAHAD O’CONNOR
A look at the research on a popular weight loss choice.
Opinion
DOT EARTH BLOG
'Whale Wars' Leader: 'Arrest Me or Shut Up'
By ANDREW C. REVKIN
A man labeled an ecoterrorist by Japan says he is operating within the law against cruel whale slayers.
WORDPLAY BLOG
Numberplay: A Triplet of Time Puzzles
By GARY ANTONICK
Our puzzles this week are by 13-year-old Neil Bickford.
