Current Science Postings
Join us as we dig beyond the headlines to explore the human side of natural science, and how it relates to your life.
Current Science articles for October-December 2007 >> August-September 2007
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Big, Old Mice Spread Hantavirus
A recent University of Utah study was conducted revealed that bigger, older deer mice have most of the contacts with other mice by fighting with or mating with them and thus are mostly likely to spread deadly hantavirus to other mice and ultimately to humans.
A researcher coated this wild deer mouse in green fluorescent powder for a study that used microchip transmitters and five colors of powder to document how often and how long deer mice came into contact with other deer mice.
Read this article
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This 10-minute flyby video created by the Department of Natural Resources highlights the Salt Lake City segment of the Wasatch fault, which traces along the eastern side of Salt Lake Valley. See where the fault is and its proximity to highways and towns.
The audio portion tells the geologic story of the Wasatch fault, as well as some of today's concerns about the earthquake hazard the fault poses to this heavily urbanized area of Utah.
See the Wasatch Fault Flyby Video
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Almost four hundred years ago, deep in one person’s cells, it happened: a mutation. A single gene – a packet of instructions coded in a small segment of DNA – spontaneously changed. Because of that one change in one gene in one person long ago, thousands of Americans today may be at high risk for developing colon cancer.
Posted Wednesday, June 4, 2008
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Whose Shoes?
What’s the story behind a mysterious mound of ancient moccasins? Why would people have left behind such an unusual pile of personal belongings? And whose shoes were they, anyway?
Posted Wednesday, May 14, 2008
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Dino Bones Tell of Teen Moms
When could dinosaurs have babies? Reptiles, humans, and many modern animals can reproduce before they finish growing, but birds - today’s living dinosaurs - can’t lay eggs until they’re full-sized. What about extinct, non-birdlike dinosaurs? Which modern animals were they most like?
Posted Thursday, March 26, 2008 |
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Nevada Earthquakes Rattles Utah
Did you feel it? At 7:16 am on Thursday, February 21, an earthquake struck just outside of Wells, Nevada. The quake measured 6.0 on the Richter Scale, and was felt for hundreds of miles around. Here in Salt Lake City, 152 miles away from the epicenter of the quake, people reported feeling some mild shaking.
Posted Thursday, February 21, 2008
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Head in the Clouds
Have you ever spent a lazy afternoon watching the clouds go by? University of Utah meteorologist Tim Garrett spends lots of time observing clouds, but for him it’s not a relaxing pastime; it’s his job. “I want to understand how clouds work,” he says. “They appear and disappear, they’re constantly evolving. Why?” Garrett hopes to uncover some simple principles that guide the behavior of these “ephemeral beasts.”
Posted Thursday, January 10, 2008
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