Articles by Jim Algar
Climate Change Isn't the Only Factor in Increased Carbon Cycle: Crops Play Role Too
As humans push agriculture to ever-high levels of productivity, crops become an ever-bigger contributor so seasonal changes in atmospheric CO2, researchers say. Seasonal swings are up 50 percent in the last 50 years, they say.
Government Unveils New Rules to Make Clinical Trial Results More Transparent
U.S. health officials propose new rules for clinical trials intended to make more information available to the public and the medical community. Negative results would no longer be able to be kept secret and unreported under new rules.
Major Brain Pathway Rediscovered After Century-Old Dispute
Brain structure involved in visual processing, discovered in the 19th century but then ignored, gets a "rediscovery." Pathway at the back of our brains may be crucial for skills such as reading, researchers say.
Father Allegedly Forced Daughter to Swallow 104 Cocaine Capsules
Doctors remove cocaine capsules from stomach of Columbian girl authorities suspect was to have been drug mule. Police allege girl's father forced her to swallow the capsules, intended to fly with her to Europe.
Oxford Dictionaries' Word of the Year Reflects E-Cigarette Trends
Oxford Dictionaries choose "vape" as 2014's Word of the Year. Selection highlights prominence and controversy surrounding use of e-cigarettes.
Stress is Particularly Hard on Young Women's Hearts
Younger women with heart conditions more at risk from psychological stress than male counterparts, study finds. Doctors should consider mental stress in examining female heart disease patients, researchers say.
Philae 'Sniffed' Organic Molecules in Comet's Atmosphere Before Shutting Down
Philae lander sees signs of organic molecules on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Such compounds in comets may have "seeded" the Earth with the building blocks of life.
Men's and Women's Bodies React Differently to Zero Gravity, NASA Finds
NASA researchers look at how men's and women's bodies react differently to long period spent in space. Information could be of great help to planners of future, long-term space mission, they say.
Europeans Get Onboard Orion Venture
European Space Agency, Airbus ink deal to build "back end" of NASA's Orion space capsule. Unit will draw heavily on space station supply vehicle.
NASA Computer Model Shows CO2 Movement Around Planet in Beautiful Simulation
Supercomputer used to create highest-resolution simulation of greenhouse gas movements in the Earth's atmosphere. Computer model can be used to predict future climate, researchers say.
Leonid Meteor Shower Will Peak Monday Night: Best Time for Sky-Gazers to Watch
Watch the Leonid meteor shower live or go online for a glimpse of a cosmic light show, astronomers say. Numbers of meteors should peak Monday and Tuesday between midnight and dawn.
Why Are Super Storms Brewing on Uranus?
Strange weather patterns seen on Uranus have astronomers scratching their head. Timing of storms doesn't match what they've predicted, they say.
Rat Poison in Antibiotic Pills May Have Killed at Least 13 Women in India
Authorities in India are investigating possible drug contamination in the deaths of women treated at a "sterilization camp." Antibiotics administered after tubal ligation may have contained rat poison, officials say.
Philae Lander Historic Comet Mission Cut Short? Probe Goes on Radio Silence as Battery Depletes
Comet probe goes into sleep mode as solar panels fail to keep battery charged. Scientists say data sent before that happened still a "treasure-trove."
Magnetic Field Trace in Ancient Meteorite May Answer How our Solar system Was Formed
Pristine relic from the earliest period of our solar system has clues to how planets formed, researchers say. Intense magnetic field may have had an effect on our sun's protoplanetary disk, examination of ancient meteorite suggests.
Male Chimps Display Sexual Aggression for Better Mating Chances: Study
Male chimpanzees who bully and attack females more likely to successfully father babies with them, researchers find. Aggressive behavior studied in chimps in eastern Africa.
Science Lesson Saves Student's Life
One science lesson in school led to an emergency room visit for a student with a life-threatening aneurysm. The student felt a lump while searching his neck for a pulse as his class learned about the human circulatory system.
Scientists Use Wikipedia to Predict Disease Outbreaks
Researchers say they can predict the outbreak of an infectious disease by watching people search Wikipedia for information and symptoms. The technique could yield a global disease-forecasting system, they suggest.
West Virginia University Student Dies After Medical Emergency in Frat House
West Virginia University has suspended all fraternity and sorority activities after the death of freshman Nolan Michael Burch, who had been found unconscious in a frat house. Burch died after being taken to the hospital, officials confirm.
Google Joins SkyTruth and Oceana to Hunt Down Illegal Fishing with Mapping Technology
Google joins effort to combat illegal fishing around the world. Internet giant turns its mapping technology, expertise to campaign against overfishing of globe's threatened fish populations.
Virgin Galactic CEO: Space Tourism Industry Presses On
Virgin Galactic head says crash of SpaceShipTwo won't stop company from going ahead with space tourism plans. New vehicle will be ready in a few months, CEO George Whitesides promises.
5000-Year-Old Human Footprints Uncover the Life of Stone Age Fishermen
Ancient footprints uncovered in Denmark show Stone Age fishermen at work, archaeologists say. Separate tracks of two people preserved in dried-up bed of ancient coastal fjord.
Squair Box Uses Cold Plasma Technology to Purify Air, Now on Kickstarter Campaign
Plasma-powered air purifier promises to clear the air of dust, pollen and other pollutants. Unit can work in a home, office or in your car, inventors say.
Fungus Drone Stealthily Decomposes Upon Crashing
Biodegradable drone could decompose, leave no evidence of spying mission. Main body of autonomous vehicle is "grown" from fungus material.
Why Some Mammal Species Kill Their Babies: The Evolution of Infanticide
Infanticide in some mammal species is more common than thought and may be a product of evolution, study suggests. In some species it is a greater cause of death than predators or disease, researchers say.
Lazy With Your Contact Lenses? You're Not Alone: One Million Eye Infections in America Caused by Improper Use
CDC offers recommendations on contact lens use and care meant to reduce risk of eye infections. Treatment of such infections costs Americans $175 million every year.
Apollo Astronauts Help Kids Dream Big
Astronauts visit Minnesota high school named for NASA's Apollo program. Event was intended to inspire students and demonstrate new technologies being considered by the space agency.
Opportunity, Not Necessity, Gave Rise to Primates' Inventions
When opportunity knocks, non-human primates take advantage of it and learn tool use, researchers say. The local environment provides both the opportunity and the reason for tool use, they suggest.
Children's Brain Injuries: How Do They Usually Happen?
Study ranks causes of traumatic head injuries in children. Falls found leading cause in younger kids up to age 12; for teens, head injuries happen in assaults, car accidents or sports, researchers say.
Speaking Two Languages Is Better Than Sudoku For Your Brain
Being bilingual is good exercise for the brain, study finds. It aids in cognitive performance, and may even help ward off Alzheimer's and dementia, researchers say.
