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Biologists have long believed that orchid bees and orchids rely on each other in equal measure. The shimmering bees pollinate orchids in return for the flowers’ donation of perfumes, which male bees use to attract females. And so it was thought that the two organisms co-evolved. But a study led by Santiago Ramírez, an evolutionary biologist at the University of California, Berkeley, that was published in Science in late 2011 revealed that the bees arose first, thus suggesting that the two are more independent than previously thought....

Wind from Hurricane Irene downed trees and power lines caused interruption of power for approximately four million people. North Carolina Renee Murphy, an Administrative Representative for Duke Energy, said, “During the 24-hour period between midnight on Thursday through midnight on Friday, power outages averaged about 47,500 customers without electricity.” Currently, only about 780 people don’t have electricity. She said that is normal for outages on a regular day. “Any damage caused by Hurricane has been repaired....

By Joseph Milton Most scientists have assumed that, as carbon dioxide levels increase and the Earth warms, plant species diversity in the rainforests will start to dwindle, with plants unable to adapt to the heat. But a new study suggests that the opposite may be true. In the past, rising atmospheric carbon dioxide and higher temperatures actually drove the evolution of far greater numbers of new rainforest plant species than were wiped out....

Resistant strains of the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus are the scourge of hospitals worldwide, frequently sickening and killing patients who were admitted to overcome other ills. And until now, scientists have not been able to closely track the transmission and mutation patterns of single strains. A new project, using high-throughput, whole-genome sequencing, has begun to demystify MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), revealing how the bacteria tend to spread among patients—and continents. Results of the project were published online January 21 in the journal Science....

Every teacher knows there are students who always seem to be a step ahead of everyone else. And then there are the slackers, who are just as intelligent but who don’t seem to mind being mediocre. The difference seems obvious: some people are inherently motivated to succeed, whereas others simply don’t care. But a study conducted by psychologists William Hart, now at the University of Alabama, and Dolores Albarracin of the University of Illinois suggests otherwise....

Warning that the powerful poisons can endanger dogs and cats, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will require new instructions and labeling for on-spot flea products. The products, including the popular Frontline and Advantage brands, are small vials of liquid pesticides that pet owners apply monthly to the backs of dogs or cats to kill fleas and ticks. The EPA began investigating the products after discovering a sharp rise in the number of pets reported to be sick after they were treated....

A year ago, an unidentified computer intruder tried to penetrate the Lower Colorado River Authority’s power generation network with 4,800 high-speed log-in attempts that originated at an Internet address in China, according to a grid official’s confidential memo that was leaked to the media. And that was probably just an amateur’s work, says David Bonvillain, vice president of Accuvant LABS, a cybersecurity consulting firm based in Hanover, Md. Far greater challenges lie ahead as smart grid technologies proliferate in the nation’s transmission network and utility control centers and eventually reach business and residential electricity customers, he says....

Key concepts Chemistry Dyes Food science Solubility Introduction Do you have a favorite M&Ms or Skittle candy color? Have you ever wondered what dyes are used to make that particular color? Some candy colors are the result of a single food coloring whereas others may use a combination of dyes to create just the right appearance. In this activity you’ll get to do some scientific detective work at home to investigate what different dyes are used to color M&M candies....

Living in Missouri as a kid, John Long grew up with tornadoes. He went through the same tornado drills that all school children from tornado-prone parts of the country know well: Filing into school hallways and crouching against walls with a textbook or hands covering the head. Tornadoes were a part of life. But growing up, Long said, he and his schoolmates knew that they weren’t likely to see a tornado while classes were still in session....

Companies that specialize in harvesting renewable energy tend to focus in one area, whether it’s solar, waves or wind power. Moncada Energy Group, s.r.l., an Italian maker of wind farm technology, is breaking with that model and plans to by the end of next year erect solar panels in the same fields as the company’s wind turbines. The company is hoping the move will allow it to draw energy day and night—both when the sun shines and the night wind howls....

DENVER (March 5, 2007) — Signs of recent liquid water on Mars may have instead been caused by mini-avalanches of dirt. In December, NASA released photos of Martian gullies that showed enigmatic tracks of material suddenly appearing in the last five years. Researchers interpreted the deposits as having possibly come from trickling water. The problem with that theory is that such features can be reproduced in the lab by letting small particles slide away, says granular materials researcher Troy Shinbrot of Rutgers University....

A decades-long search for better treatments for a debilitating liver disorder is finally coming to fruition. Later this year the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve a new pill that can cure hepatitis C—a chronic infection that afflicts about 170 million people worldwide and annually kills 350,000 people, including 15,000 in the U.S.—faster and with fewer side effects than current remedies. The breakthrough treatment comes, however, at a price that may place it out of reach for all but the wealthiest or best-insured patients....

By Ellen Wulfhorst NEW YORK (Reuters) - A winter storm swept across the U.S. Northeast on Monday, yet again forcing flight cancellations, snarling traffic and proving weather-forecasting groundhog Punxsutawney Phil right. Travelers leaving the New York City area after Sunday night’s Super Bowl championship football game faced traffic jams at the region’s airports and risky driving on slippery roads. The storm could drop 4 to 8 inches of snow on an area stretching from eastern Kentucky to eastern New York state, the National Weather Service said....

Editor’s Note (10/8/20): At the October 7 vice presidential debate, Kamala Harris and Mike Pence tussled over the Green New Deal. Several proposals have fallen under that banner. How many jobs would one of them create? What kinds of jobs? Scientific American has detailed data on these questions. Political candidates in the U.S. have been announcing plans to address climate change at a record pace. With the mounting recognition of local, national and global threats, they want to show they are ready to act....

Did you like this article? Editorial Review This article has been reviewed for accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards prior to publication. Albania is located at the crossroads of the eastern Adriatic and was known as Illyria and Epirus throughout the Classical era. It played a strategic role in ancient times and was a point of contact between Illyrian, Greek, and Roman civilizations. Even though Albania is off the mainstream tourist trail, the country is now emerging as one of the most enchanting corners of Europe....

Did you like this article? Editorial Review This article has been reviewed for accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards prior to publication. It is said that the early Norse settlers of Iceland in the Viking Age (c. 790-1100 CE) believed it was the home of the gods because of the tale of the creation of the world in Norse religion. In the time before time, the story goes, there was only the great misty void of Ginnungagap and the world tree Yggdrasil....

Did you like this article? Editorial Review This article has been reviewed for accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards prior to publication. The pantheon of the Maya is a vast collection of deities worshipped throughout the regions of Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Campeche, Tabasco, and Chiapas in Mexico and southward through Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras. These gods informed the lives and rituals of the people, established order, and provided hope of a life after death....

The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. Six years have passed since the Fukushima nuclear disaster on March 11, 2011, but Japan is still dealing with its impacts. Decommissioning the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant poses unprecedented technical challenges. More than 100,000 people were evacuated but only about 13 percent have returned home, although the government has announced that it is safe to return to some evacuation zones....

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have come one step closer to replacing the lithium-ion batteries that power phones, laptops and electric cars with a device that stores far more energy for the same weight. The device is known as a lithium-air or lithium-oxygen battery. Charged lithium atoms react with the oxygen from air flowing through the apparatus, forming lithium peroxide, and deposit on the structure. The peroxide can then be broken down to release electricity....

Imagine being present at the birth of a new industry. It is an industry based on groundbreaking new technologies, wherein a handful of well-established corporations sell highly specialized devices for business use and a fast-growing number of start-up companies produce innovative toys, gadgets for hobbyists and other interesting niche products. But it is also a highly fragmented industry with few common standards or platforms. Projects are complex, progress is slow, and practical applications are relatively rare....