News in Brief

  1. Animals

    Ancient snake wore green

    Scientists have reconstructed the skin coloration of a fossilized snake that’s about 10 million years old.

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  2. Archaeology

    Ancient Assyrians buried their dead with turtles

    Why did ancient Assyrians bury their dead with turtles? The reptiles may have served as symbolic protectors of the dead.

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  3. Animals

    Cyborg beetles walk the walk

    New beetle biobots come with speed and gait control.

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  4. Earth

    Quake risk in parts of central U.S. as high as in fault-filled California

    A new report from the U.S. Geological Survey shows an increased earthquake hazard from human activities such as the disposal of fracking wastewater.

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  5. Earth

    Beware of rockfalls in warm weather

    Cracks in cliff faces grow and shrink as temperatures warm and cool, new research shows.

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  6. Oceans

    Coral larvae feed on their baby fat

    Free-floating corals use their baby fat to survive.

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  7. Genetics

    Zika may have flown to Brazil in 2013

    The brand of Zika currently floating around the Americas traces its origins to Asia and may have arrived in Brazil by air as early as 2013.

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  8. Astronomy

    Companion star could have triggered supernova

    An exploding star in another galaxy might have been pushed over the edge by a stellar companion.

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  9. Physics

    New type of catalyst could aid hydrogen fuel

    A substance that can switch states might make an efficient catalyst for extracting hydrogen from water.

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  10. Agriculture

    Climate change threatens quality of French, Swiss wines

    Wine quality could suffer as climate change desynchronizes warm temperatures and droughts, preventing grape growers from harvesting at the optimum time.

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  11. Paleontology

    How to tell if a T. rex is expecting

    A “pregnancy” test for tyrannosaurs relies on chemical analyses of medullary bone, a reproductive tissue found in female birds.

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  12. Physics

    Like birds of a feather, sperm flock together

    Studies of sperm show that they swim in groups because of the elasticity of the mucus they travel through.

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