biology
Sleep cycles can affect an athlete’s performance
If you watched Sunday’s Super Bowl, you witnessed its improbable ending: Jermaine Kearse’s remarkable catch near the end; Seattle coach Pete Carroll’s surprising play call at the goal line; and the interception that clinched the win for the New England Patriots. Would the outcome have been different had the game been played at a different time of day? We’ll never know. But new research may provide an intriguing insight.
‘Bacterial nanowires’ may lead to breakthroughs in semiconductors, fuel cells and more
When certain cells are deprived of oxygen, they do surprising things — including morphing part of themselves into a long wire and breathing rocks. It may sound weird, but it’s true, and it could help develop new technologies.