Feature
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Stranded: A whale of a mystery
Scientists generally agree that sonar can trigger strandings of certain whales, but no one really knows what leads these deep divers to the beach.
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Physics
Large Hadron Collider
When the Large Hadron Collider powers up this fall, protons moving at almost the speed of light will collide with energies high enough, physicists hope, to solve matter’s biggest mysteries.
By Ron Cowen -
Health & Medicine
Sick and down
To fight off an infection or illness, the body shifts into a slow-down mode that mirrors some symptoms of depression. In fact, scientists now think the immune response itself may even cause the mood disorder.
By Amy Maxmen -
Astronomy
ExtraSolar
Astronomers hope that new tools will enable them to capture the first image of one of the 300 known planets orbiting distant stars.
By Ron Cowen -
Psychology
Simpleminded Voters
An innovative research technique has led researchers to conclude that well-informed voters often use simple rules of thumb to sift through mountains of campaign information and pick the candidate who best reflects their own political views.
By Bruce Bower -
Plants
Forest invades tundra
The Arctic tundra is under assault from trees, with serious implications for global climate change.
By Janet Raloff -
Health & Medicine
Nabbing suspicious SNPs
Scientists search the whole genome for clues to common diseases.
By Regina Nuzzo -
Health & Medicine
Thanks for the future memories
To the brain, remembering the past and visualizing the future look surprisingly similar.
By Susan Gaidos -
Chemistry
Small, But Super
These 'atoms' can't leap tall buildings in a single bound, but they have special powers.
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Astronomy
When Worlds Collide
Parallel universes aren’t supposed to be observable, but a cosmic crash might leave a visible sign of their existence.
By Diana Steele