All Stories
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ChemistryNew molecular knot is most complex yet
The knot is woven from 192 atoms of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen and forms a triple braid with eight crossing points.
By Meghan Rosen -
NeuroscienceHow mice use their brain to hunt
Messages from the brain’s amygdala help mice chase and kill prey.
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LifeShimmering soap bubbles have a dark side
Merging dark spots are indicators that a bubble is about to burst.
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AnimalsIt takes guts for a sea spider to pump blood
Most sea spiders have hearts, but what really gets their blood flowing are gut contractions.
By Susan Milius -
NeurosciencePain promoter also acts as pain reliever
A pain-sensing protein also regulates activity of pain-relieving opioids.
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PaleontologyAncient oddball invertebrate finds its place on the tree of life
Ancient marine invertebrates called hyoliths may be more closely related to modern horseshoe worms than mollusks, a fossil analysis finds.
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Planetary ScienceThe moon is still old
New analysis of moon rocks points to our satellite forming about 4.51 billion years ago, roughly 60 million years after the start of the solar system.
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EarthMapping the future of continents and batteries
Editor in chief Eva Emerson discusses how science provides new perspectives on the past and the future.
By Eva Emerson -
PaleontologyReaders weigh in on dinos, dark matter and more
Ancient bird calls, the search for dark matter and more in reader feedback.
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ComputingRetracted result on network equivalence reinstated
Graph isomorphism result still stands, despite error.
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EarthEvidence falls into place for once and future supercontinents
Shifting landmasses have repeatedly reshaped Earth’s surface. Researchers piecing together the past are now picturing a new supercontinent, due in 250 million years.
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AstronomyMilky Way’s black hole may hurl galactic spitballs our way
Gas blobs formed in the wake of stars shredded by the black hole in the center of the galaxy could pass within several hundred light-years of Earth on their way to intergalactic space.