Shark humor has its time and place, but not when I’m snorkeling somewhere called Shark Bay. At the Heron Island Research Station, a laboratory on the teardrop-shaped atoll 45 miles off Australia’s east coast, the suntanned, chirpy station manager gives a parting wave to the three students who are taking me out for my first look at the legendary corals of the Great Barrier Reef
Tag Archives: calcium
Lack of Sleep Linked to Heart Problems
No one likes to walk into work after just a few fitful hours of sleep. But now there’s evidence that not getting enough sleep may have more serious consequences than dark circles under your eyes the next morning
Brief History: The Periodic Table
Six atoms may seem minuscule–especially if they exist for only fractions of a second–but they can have huge implications. The recent announcement that Russian and American scientists finally managed to produce a tiny bit of element 117 by firing calcium atoms at berkelium fills in a missing spot on the periodic table
The Vitamin-D Debate: How Much is OK?
Spend a few minutes soaking up some rays and your body will start to pump out more vitamin D. Many health officials believe Americans are D-deficient, but in the age of sunblock and self-tanners, how many vitamin-D pills should we be popping
Report: Coral almost as genetically complex as humans
Advances in the study of coral in the last few years has led a group of scientists to conclude that corals almost rival humans in their genetic complexity and their relationship to algae is key to their survival. “We’ve known for some time the general functioning of corals and the problems they are facing from climate change,” said Virginia Weis, a professor of zoology at Oregon State University and an author of a report published in the journal Science