Science Briefing

When the sun sneezes, Earth gets sick. It’s time for the sun to move into a busier period for sunspots, and though forecasters expect a mild outbreak by historical standards, one major solar storm can cause havoc with satellites and electrical systems.

Congo volcanoes may erupt soon

The volcanoes in the central African nation could be about to erupt, threatening Goma, which has a population of more than half a million people, scientists said Thursday.

"The eruption could be tomorrow, or the day after — or at any other time," said Dieudonne Wafula, head of Goma’s Volcanological Observatory.

Ancient garrison found in Egypt

A military garrison of mud-brick and seashells unearthed in Egypt’s Sinai desert may be key to finding a web of Pharaonic-era defenses at the northeast gateway to ancient Egypt, archaeologists said Thursday.

Inscriptions at Luxor’s Karnak temple may serve as a guide to finding other outposts. But knowing the location of the garrison at the ancient city of Tharu, in a formerly fertile area of Egypt where a branch of the Nile river once met the Mediterranean Sea, is key to understanding where to begin the search.

Frog protection hangs in balance

Scientists have found more than 200 new species of frogs in Madagascar, but a political crisis appears to be hurting conservation of the Indian Ocean island’s unique wildlife.

The discovery, which almost doubles the number of known amphibians in Madagascar, illustrates an underestimation of the natural riches that have helped spawn a $390-million-a-year tourism industry.

But months of instability culminating in a change of government after street protests have compromised gains in conservation.

Suicide linked to long summer days

Too much sunlight in places such as Greenland where long summer days often cause insomnia appears more likely to drive a person to suicide than previously thought.

Despite a belief that suicides tend to rise in late autumn and early winter months because of darkness, the new findings suggest that constant sunlight in summer seasons may be just as dangerous.

"It is crucial to keep some circadian rhythm to get enough sleep and sustain mental health," Swedish researchers reported Friday in the journal BMC Psychiatry.

Coated stents get another look