Using genetics to try to figure out how to get mosquitoes to stop biting us
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Among all the beasts in the animal kingdom, perhaps none is more dangerous to humans than the mosquito.
Category: LA Times Science
How a four-legged whale ended up in Peru more than 42 million years ago
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Olivier Lambert explains what scientists can learn from a the fossil of an ancient whale that had four legs and could live in the water or on the land.
To reduce dementia risk, eating well and exercising do more than puzzles and pills
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If you want to save your brain from the ravages of dementia, keep the rest of your body well with exercise and healthy habits rather than relying on vitamins or other pills, according to new guidelines from the World Health Organization.
Tiny fish make a huge impact on coral reef ecosystems
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The survival of coral reef ecosystems relies on seldom-seen, historically overlooked cryptobenthic reef fishes the smallest of marine vertebrates.
Coming home stressed? Your dog is internalizing those bad vibes too, study suggests
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Is your dog stressed out? Maybe you’re the one who needs a belly rub.
In the moon glow of Mt. Wilson, go find your place in the cosmos
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Talk about star power. Mt. Wilson has an amazing history. Up here, astronomers first measured the Milky Way and discovered the universe was expanding. Go see the distant stars for yourself and expand your universe as well.
Tiny fish make a huge impact on coral reef ecosystems
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The survival of coral reef ecosystems relies on seldom-seen, historically overlooked cryptobenthic reef fishes the smallest of marine vertebrates. (Video by Simon Brandl, Music by Carlos Estella)
Weirdly shaped, very dark: Ultima Thule is revealing the outer solar systems secrets
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NASAs New Horizons spacecraft successfully flew past the most distant world ever explored by humans on New Years Day. Now, a clearer picture of the 22-mile-long object known as Ultima Thule is beginning to take shape and it has scientists baffled.
Weve never seen anything like this, said…
Light and sound stimulus therapy generates a buzz in Alzheimers research world
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The often-discouraging search for ways to prevent or treat Alzheimers disease may have flickered to life this week with a bright new idea and a buzzy new soundtrack as well.
In experiments conducted on mice, scientists used light and sound to orchestrate a series of episodes that were marked…
Mental health problems are on the rise among American teens and young adults
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You can call the generation of young Americans now working their way to adulthood Generation Z, because they follow Generations X and Y. You can call these 14-to-27-year-olds iGen, after the wireless devices that seem permanently affixed to their persons. And if theyre your kids and still living…
The fascinating backstory of the periodic table, which is about to turn 150 years old
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The periodic table has become an icon of science. Its rows and columns provide a tidy way of showcasing the elements the ingredients that make up the universe.
It seems obvious today, but it wasnt to generations of early chemists. That changed when Dmitri Mendeleev started writing a textbook…
Oil put L.A. on the map. It may have exaggerated the city’s quake risk too
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Hoping to escape traffic on her way home from Los Angeles International Airport, Susan Hough found herself driving down La Cienega Boulevard through the heart of the Inglewood Oil Field. It was a jarring scene: Scores of black pump jacks nodded lazily in the scrubby hills, like a herd of mechanical…
Meet Ultima Thule: Dark as potting soil and shaped like a snowman, first images reveal
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Its rust-colored and lumpy. Its about as dark as potting soil. And shaped like a snowman.
Two days after NASAs New Horizons spacecraft hurtled past a small, frozen world 4.5 billion miles from Earth, Ultima Thule is finally coming into focus.
What we are seeing is the first contact binary ever…
These California beaches have long been off-limits. But public outrage is changing the tide
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Behind the exclusive gates of Hollister Ranch are some of Californias most-coveted beaches and surf breaks. Few have had the chance to visit them.
But earlier this month, after decades of pushback and stalemates, state officials passed through these gates with the cooperation of the ranchs powerful…
America’s psychologists want you to understand how racism holds our country back
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The nations psychologists want us to talk about race. Not in the hushed confines of a therapists office, but in classrooms, church basements and workplaces.
If that feels like a daunting task, dont worry. The mental health experts have launched a video series to get you started.
The first installment…
On Christmas Eve, Santa delivers presents … and a few extra heart attacks
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If you think of the night before Christmas as a time for hot cocoa, cozy fires and Bing Crosby albums, a new discovery by Swedish researchers may well break your heart:
The risk of suffering a heart attack spikes on Christmas Eve.
That finding is based on a comprehensive database of hospital statistics…
Your aging brain: Is it ‘use it or lose it’?
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Yes, your brain is like a muscle: If you dont strengthen and stretch its capacities, it will not deliver high performance.
But your brain is not like one of those forgiving muscles that lets you engage in a lifetime of indolence and then perks up willingly when you take up weight-training upon…
What’s truly scary on Halloween? Pedestrians are more likely to be killed by cars
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Forget the zombies, ghosts and vampires that pretend to frighten you on Halloween. What ought to scare you to death is the heightened risk of being killed by a car while youre out trick-or-treating.
During prime trick-or-treat hours, the odds that a pedestrian will be fatally struck by a car are…
Heated tobacco product touted as safer alternative to cigarettes is no less dangerous than smoking, studies find
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In 30 countries around the world, consumers can slide a roll of dried tobacco into a sleek device, heat it to 350 degrees and inhale. The result is a hit of nicotine that feels like its coming from a traditional cigarette without producing any smoke.
Tobacco giant Philip Morris International wants…
To keep your blood pressure in check, dont forget to brush and floss
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Struggling to bring your high blood pressure under control, even with the help of medications?
Open your mouth and say aha! if you see tooth decay or gums that are sore, bleeding or receding. You may have found the culprit.
Researchers reported Monday that in adults whose hypertension was being…