Near-zero-energy buildings blessing to owners, environment
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Aug. 11, 2004 — An electricity meter that sometimes runs backwards is just one of the cool aspects of Department of Energy near-zero-energy homes.... ...While low or no electric bills are an obvious benefit, high energy efficiency homes and businesses also reduce the amount of electricity that needs to be generated, thus reducing pollution, said Jeff Christian of DOE's Oak...New findings bring mixed blessings to those looking to combat jet lag
February 4, 2004 BETHESDA, MD -- Jet lag occurs when we travel across multiple time zones by air. Anyone who has experienced jet lag knows that it causes sleep disturbances and daytime sleepiness, and can impair performance after landing. A team of researchers has investigated the effects of slow release caffeine (SRC) and melatonin (Mlt) on recovery sleep and daytime sleepiness after a seven-ti...Scientists discover where snakes lived when they evolved into limbless creatures
The mystery of where Earth's first snakes lived as they were evolving into limbless creatures from their lizard ancestors has intrigued scientists for centuries. Now, the first study ever to analyze genes from all the living families of lizards has revealed that snakes made their debut on the land, not in the ocean. The discovery resolves a long-smoldering debate among biologists about whether...COLUMBUS, Ohio A new study suggests that rising levels of... carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could be a boon for agricultural... crops, as this greenhouse gas helps crop plants grow and... reproduce more....... But that boon comes with a... price, said Peter Curtis, a....... . Drugs can leave a virus breathless. Researchers in the US have found that parts.of the protein shell of the common cold virus flap open in a motion they call."breathing"--and compounds that stop viruses infecting cells can stifle this.flapping. The discovery could lead to rapid screening methods for antiviral.drugs.. A virus only shows real signs of life after it has infected a cell....