Genetic Mutations In Our Bodies Might Be Less Random Than We Thought, Scientists Say

When it comes to evolution in humans, there are two main things making it happen, at least on the genetic level: The recombination of genes that happens when our parents’ chromosomes pair up and the random mutations that inevitably result. A new high-resolution map of the human genome is providing scientists with their most detailed look yet at the dual roles those processes play in creating each person’s unique genome. It’s also revealing that mutations in some places are more likely than others, indicating, the researchers say, that they might not be as random as we think.

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Photos: Bangkok fights air pollution with water-spraying drones

Air pollution has reached hazardous levels in Bangkok, Thailand, leading some officials to attempt an unusual approach: letting drones spray the pollution out of the sky. Earlier in the week, levels of PM2.5—tiny particles 2.5 microns in diameter or smaller that can penetrate deep into the lungs—reached 185 micrograms per cubic meter. Anything above 150 is deemed hazardous for all individuals (50 or below is considered good).

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My Departure Letter from NBC

I circulated this letter to NBC colleagues on January 2 and since it quickly leaked and got recirculated all over, I’d thought I’d post it here... By William M. Arkin.

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Rocking improves sleep and memory, studies in mice and people show

Anyone who has ever put a small child to bed or drifted off in a gently swaying hammock will know that a rocking motion makes getting to sleep seem easier. Now, two new studies reported in Current Biology on January 24, one conducted in young adults and the other in mice, add to evidence for the broad benefits of a rocking motion during sleep. In fact, the studies in people show that rocking not only leads to better sleep, but it also boosts memory consolidation during sleep.

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This Ancient Dead Bug Could Change What We Know About Opal Formation

The markets of Southeast Asia are common places to find the fossils of insects, embedded in amber millions of years old. But last year, gemologist Brian Berger found something much more rare and astonishing.

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Boeing’s Flying Car Has Taken Off

A Boeing Co. flying car designed to whisk passengers over congested city streets and dodge skyscrapers completed its first test flight on Tuesday, offering a peek into the future of urban transportation the aerospace giant and others are seeking to shape.

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Planetary collision that formed the moon made life possible on Earth

Most of Earth's life-essential elements probably arrived with the planetary collision that produced the moon. Petrologists now conclude Earth most likely received the bulk of its carbon, nitrogen and other life-essential volatile elements from a collision with a Mars-sized planet more than 4.4 billion years ago.

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