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By Jo Marchant of Nature magazine Brendan Foley peels his wetsuit to the waist and perches on the side of an inflatable boat as it skims across the sea just north of the island of Crete. [More]

By Eric Hand of Nature magazine In astronomy, every photon counts. [More]

By Daniel Cressey of Nature magazine A class of chemicals used widely in manufacturing could be damaging the effectiveness of common vaccines. Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) -- organic chemicals containing fluorine -- are used in food packaging and industrial manufacturing

By Mo Costandi of Nature magazine Far from expanding your mind, the hallucinogenic chemical found in magic mushrooms induces widespread decreases in brain activity, researchers report today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Psilocybin has been revered for centuries for its ability to induce mystical experiences, and has potential therapeutic value for various psychiatric conditions. [More]

Bigger, wealthier rivals can and will stack the deck against you. And they will involve lawyers.

Researchers at the Niels Bohr Institute have combined two worlds – quantum physics and nano physics, and this has led to the discovery of a new method for laser cooling semiconductor membranes. Semiconductors are vital components in solar cells, LEDs and many other electronics, and the efficient cooling of components is important for future quantum computers and ultrasensitive sensors. The new cooling method works quite paradoxically by heating the material

A rendering of the exterior of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences' Nature Research Center Imagine walking through a science museum and, among the usual displays of dinosaur bones, butterflies, and amphibians you come upon a series of windows into state-of-the-art research labs. Inside, scientists from nearby universities and veterinary schools work on projects related to biodiversity, genetics, nanoparticles, and animal health and welfare. In front of each window is a touch screen.

From Nature magazine [More]

Reprinted from Nature magazine [More]

The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined [More]

Scientists have developed a new way to create electromagnetic Terahertz (THz) waves or T-rays - the technology behind full-body security scanners. The researchers behind the study, published recently in the journal Nature Photonics, say their new stronger and more efficient continuous wave T-rays could be used to make better medical scanning gadgets and may one day lead to innovations similar to the 'tricorder' scanner used in Star Trek.

By Meredith Wadman of Nature magazine In December 2010, the US Congress passed the National Alzheimer's Project Act. [More]

By Rebecca Hill of Nature magazine A decade ago, hot on the heels of whole-genome sequencing, the idea of three-dimensional genome mapping was developed. [More]

By Eric Hand of Nature Magazine On 4 January, John Grunsfeld, the fix-it-man for the Hubble Space Telescope, became the head of NASA's Science Mission Directorate. [More]

By Meredith Wadman of Nature magazine US researchers are concerned that revised guidelines that recommend a minimum size for breeding lab rodents' cages will substantially increase the cost of animal work. The eighth edition of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, published last year by the US National Academies in Washington DC, is the first to recommend minimum cage sizes for female rats and mice and their litters. [More]