All Stories
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Paleontology
‘Echidnapus’ hints at a lost age of egg-laying mammals
The fossil discoveries double the number of known monotreme species during the Cretaceous Period.
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Physics
The second law of thermodynamics underlies nearly everything. But is it inviolable?
Two centuries on, scientists are still seeking a proof of the Second Law and why heat always flows from hot to cold.
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Anthropology
Child sacrifices at famed Maya site were all boys, many closely related
DNA analysis shows victims in one underground chamber at Chichén Itzá included twins, perhaps representing mythological figures.
By Bruce Bower -
Health & Medicine
Long COVID finally gets a universal definition
If broadly adopted, this inclusive description of long COVID will help legitimize the ongoing struggles millions of people are facing post-infection.
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Space
Human spaceflight’s new era is fraught with medical and ethical questions
A new project called the Space Omics and Medical Atlas aims to study and document astronaut health as commercial spaceflight starts to take off.
By Adam Mann -
Animals
‘Cull of the Wild’ questions sacrificing wildlife in the name of conservation
In his new book, ecologist Hugh Warwick seeks middle ground in the waging battle that is wildlife management.
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Health & Medicine
Gen X has higher cancer rates than their baby boomer parents
An unexplained uptick in cancer diagnoses among Gen Xers might be bad news for millennials and Gen Z.
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Health & Medicine
Can humans get chronic wasting disease from deer?
Tests on brain organoids suggest the disease-causing prions face a tough barrier to infect people, but ruling out transmission is a difficult task.
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Earth
Geoscientists found the most dangerous part of a famous West Coast fault
Seismic data reveal that the Cascadia megathrust consists of at least four segments, the most dangerous of which may lurk offshore of Washington.
By Nikk Ogasa -
Anthropology
Fossil finds amplify Europe’s status as a hotbed of great ape evolution
A kneecap and two teeth belonged to the smallest known great ape, a study contends. If so, it’s the first to coexist with another great ape in Europe.
By Bruce Bower -
Health & Medicine
Wildfire smoke may cause tens of thousands of premature deaths
A modeling study of California wildfires from 2008 through 2018 estimates that smoke exposure was responsible for as many as 55,700 premature deaths.
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Space
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope could help solve these 5 exoplanet puzzles
A lot of people are focused on signs of alien life, but the space telescope will have a lot to say about exoplanet geology and formation.
By Elise Cutts