Some scientists say toxins from cigarette smoke can cling to furniture and clothing after the smoke wafts away, possibly posing a danger to infants and children. Jonathan Winickoff discusses his new paper on the public's perception of the risk of third-hand smoke.
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Relative risk, absolute risk, number needed to treat: medical research papers are loaded with confusing statistics. Steven Woloshin and Lisa M. Schwartz, authors of the book Know Your Chances: Understanding Health Statistics, talk about what those numbers mean.
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Scientists have found that the Milky Way galaxy spins faster and has more mass than previously thought, with a size rivaling that of neighboring galaxy Andromeda. Astronomer Mark Reid of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics discusses the new measurements.
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Under the right conditions, nano-sized synthetic fibers will spontaneously twist together to form intricate and beautiful braids. To the researcher who studies them, the nano knots evoke Medusa's braids. What do they look like to you?
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New research in the journal Science details how nano-sized hairs can be made to twist themselves into tight coils and braids, or clutch an object with a sticky grip. Study author Joanna Aizenberg of Harvard University explains the nano-knotting.
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