All Stories
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Health & MedicineWhat freediving can reveal about human health — and our limits
The practice of freediving is teaching physiologists how humans stretch their physical and mental limits, which in turn may improve treatments for lung and heart ailments.
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AnimalsAI-powered whale-spotting tech may help save San Francisco Bay’s gray whales
An AI trained to use thermal images to detect whale body heat could help warn ships at risk of colliding with the marine mammals.
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Health & MedicineDamaged DNA can spread between human cells. What could that mean for cancer?
DNA can voyage along intercellular highways called tunneling nanotubes. It’s a phenomenon that could potentially spread tumor DNA to healthy cells.
By Meghan Rosen -
ClimateAntarctic plants may face a growing fungal threat from warming soils
Soil DNA from Chile to the Antarctic Peninsula ties warmer climates to more plant fungal pathogens, with abundance projected to double by 2100.
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ArchaeologyA ‘jar’ jammed with human bones may solve Laos’ ‘Plain of Jars’ mystery
The remains of at least 37 people in an ancient stone 'jar' in northeastern Laos suggest that thousands similar jars were used in burials.
By Tom Metcalfe -
AnimalsMeet ‘Snuffleupagus,’ a newfound fish sporting shaggy camouflage
Found near Australia, Solenostomus snuffleupagus is a shaggy swimmer that closely resembles Mr. Snuffleupagus from Sesame Street.
By Jake Buehler -
Health & MedicineAfter Dobbs, miscarriage care looked different in states with abortion bans
States with abortion bans are trending away from evidence-based miscarriage treatment that includes mifepristone, compared with states without bans.
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EarthNever-ending storms make for good plot twists. Could they plague Earth?
While the thunderstorms in The Legend of Zelda defy physics, plenty of places on Earth experience extreme weather.
- Animals
Crabs’ sideways walk may have evolved just once
A study of 50 crab species in Japan traces the iconic sideways walk to a single ancestor, suggesting the trait drove the group's remarkable diversity.
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Science & SocietyOur understanding of Charles Darwin continues to evolve
Historian Janet Browne’s Darwin: A Biography lifts the curtain on the private life of Charles Darwin, one of science’s most controversial pioneers.
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MicrobesA Greenland explorer will eat only decaying seal for a month
British chef Mike Keen will ski across Greenland eating only fermented seal. Researchers will study how the Inuit diet shapes gut health.
By Sujata Gupta - Physics
Water drops on soap bubble films act like merging galaxies
Water droplets on soap films orbited and merged like colliding galaxies, a technique that could help scientists study the cosmos.