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A carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere could strip important food crops of their nutrients, a new study suggests. Wheat, rice, barley and certain legumes like soybeans are classified as C3 plants, which corresponds to their ability as plants to convert carbon dioxide into energy. These C3 grasses and legumes have been shown to lose up to 15 percent of zinc and iron, the top two minerals in the human body, in experiments that artificially enhanced the concentration of carbon dioxide....

I received an email from a listener named Trish a few weeks ago all about the importance of forearm strength. Trish said, “I read somewhere that having weak forearms can limit your ability to build other muscles. That seems extreme. Is it true? And other than not being able to build bigger biceps, why should we worry about our forearm strength? Thanks.” Great questions. I will tackle them in the order they were asked and then give you some exercises that you can do to strengthen those puny wrists....

A fundamental feature of vocal communication is taking turns: when one person says something, the other person listens and then responds. Turn-taking requires precise coordination of the timing of signals between individuals. We have all found over the past year communicating over Zoom that disruptions of the timing of auditory cues—like those annoying delays caused by poor connections—make effective communication difficult and frustrating. How do the brains of two individuals synchronize their activity patterns for rapid turn-taking during vocal communication?...

The U.S. associates two statues with the cornerstones of its republic. The two figures are the Statue of Liberty, her torch lighting the way for immigrants, and Lady Justice, blindfolded to avoid bias from the eyes in the court. The reality is that people, not statues, make decisions about immigration. And in the courts and their deliberations, they bring along preconceptions about race and religion. A new analysis of naturalization data reveals the current impact of those biases....

The attorneys general of Massachusetts and New York said yesterday that they will refuse to comply with a subpoena from Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) regarding their probes into Exxon Mobil Corp.’s track record on climate change. Attorneys General Maura Healey (D) and Eric Schneiderman (D), respectively the top law enforcement officials in Massachusetts and New York, told Smith yesterday that his request for documents related to their investigations interferes with states’ rights....

A new color-changing ink could aid in health and environment monitoring—for example, allowing clothing that switches hues when exposed to sweat or a tapestry that shifts colors if a dangerous gas enters the room. The formulation could be printed on anything from a T-shirt to a tent. Wearable sensing devices such as smart watches and patches use electronics to monitor heart rate, blood glucose, and more. Now researchers at Tufts University’s Silklab say their new silk-based inks can respond to, and quantify, the presence of chemicals on or around the body....

By Eugenie Samuel Reich of Nature magazineWhen Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, overruled the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 7 and denied over-the-counter access to the Plan B One-Step “morning-after” pill for girls aged under 17, advocates for scientific integrity in government were outraged. Although the FDA’s decision to allow access had been based on an in-depth scientific review, Sebelius–who is not a scientist by training–claimed that the data did not support the view that young girls would be able to use the drug safely....

IMAGINE what it must be like. In a condition called synesthesia, senses blend, with exotic effects. Each number may evoke its own color, and flavors can mingle with shapes—in one instance letting a man tell that a roasted chicken was done, because it tasted “pointy.” In their article, “Hearing Colors, Tasting Shapes,” starting on page 76, Vilayanur S. Ramachandran and Edward M. Hubbard describe how synesthesia has yielded insights into how the brain processes complex sensory inputs....

Excerpted from The Perpetual Now: A Story of Amnesia, Memory and Love, by Michael D. Lemonick. Published by arrangement with Doubleday, an imprint of The Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Copyright © 2017 by Michael D. Lemonick. Reprinted with permission. I pulled the New York Times out of its plastic delivery bag on the morning of December 5, 2008, unfolded the paper, and read this headline on the front page: “H....

This story was originally published by Inside Science News Service. (ISNS) – Scientists analyzing how magicians Penn & Teller perform one of the oldest known illusions now reveal that some aspects of the magic trick are even more effective at manipulating audiences than the magicians predicted. These findings not only shed light on basic processes such as cognition, but could help advance the art of magic, researchers suggested. In recent years, neuroscientists have increasingly been analyzing magicians’ performances to gain insights on the human mind....

By Zoe Cormier of Nature magazineA class of virus has for the first time been shown to jump from animals to humans–and then to infect other humans.The virus is described in PLoS Pathogens today. The team that discovered it might also have found the first human to be infected: the primary carer for a colony of titi monkeys (Callicebus cupreus) that suffered an outbreak.The culprit is an adenovirus, one of a class of viruses that cause a range of illnesses in humans, including pneumonia....

During a 1959 television appearance, Jack Kerouac was asked how long it took him to write his novel On The Road. His response—three weeks—amazed the interviewer and ignited an enduring myth that the book was composed in a marathon of nonstop typing. Like the Kerouac of legend, some people possess the incredible ability to focus for long periods of time. Others constantly struggle to keep their minds on task. Individuals diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), for example, are often restless and easily distracted....

Rousing the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from slumber may not sound like a good idea. But just as it is next to impossible to lure and trap a hibernating animal, catching a virus on the move is far easier than snaring one lying dormant. That’s the thinking behind some strategies to effectively eradicate latent reservoirs of HIV—thought to be the virus’s last stand when under attack from increasingly effective drug cocktails....

One of the worst things that can happen to a pig farmer is a pen infected with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). It emerged in the 1980s, and the syndrome now afflicts these hoofed animals worldwide, causing illness, death and miscarriage. In fact, it has been designated the most economically significant disease for swine, costing livestock producers in North America $600 million annually from deaths and medical treatments. Vaccinations have mostly failed to prevent the syndrome’s spread, but a new approach by biologists at the University of Missouri may mark a turning point....

The White House is recruiting researchers who reject the scientific consensus on climate change for its “adversarial” review of the issue. The proposal to form a “Presidential Committee on Climate Security” at the National Security Council has shifted, into an ad-hoc group that will review climate science out of the public eye. Those involved in the preliminary discussions said it is focused on recruiting academics to conduct a review of the science that shows climate change presents a national security risk....

Ah, to sleep, perchance … to shrink your neural connections? That’s the conclusion of new research that examined subtle changes in the brain during sleep. The researchers found that sleep provides a time when the brain’s synapses — the connections among neurons—shrink back by nearly 20 percent. During this time, the synapses rest and prepare for the next day, when they will grow stronger while receiving new input—that is, learning new things, the researchers said....

Calling all doctors, local politicians, clergy, social media influencers, and others with clout in your communities: Please become public advocates for vaccines. Right now. Calling all local journalists, too: Please amplify your neighbors’ advocacy, and add some of your own. This is a time when you should transcend the norms of your craft. You cannot be neutral and still claim to have done your job—not on this topic, not now. Why do we need local celebrities and influencers to take on this role?...

Dear EarthTalk: What are “ghost factories?”—Philip Walker, Hartford, Conn. In April 2012, USA TODAY published a series entitled “Ghost Factories,” a report on an investigation into lead contaminated soil in hundreds of neighborhoods around the U.S. where lead factories once operated. The investigation addressed the lack of action taken by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to test and clean up these sites despite having been warned in 2001 about the dangerous levels of lead contamination around the areas of these old facilities....

Older Israelis who have received a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine are much less likely to test positive for SARS-CoV-2 or to develop severe COVID-19 than are those who have had only two jabs, according to a highly anticipated study published on 15 September. The standard regimen for messenger RNA-based COVID-19 vaccines is two doses, but some governments, including Israel’s, have started administering third ‘booster’ shots. The latest study evaluated 1....

The research comes at a time of growing interest in aerosols—small pollution particles, often produced by industrial activities—and their influence on global weather and climate. Aerosols are known to produce a temporary cooling effect on the climate, and research increasingly suggests that air pollution may have helped to cover up some of the effects of human-caused climate change (Climatewire, Jan. 22). This means ongoing efforts to reduce pollution may be accompanied by enhanced warming, scientists note, along with a variety of other weather-related side effects....