News
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Genome made quickly from scratch
Scientists have synthesized a viral genome in record time.
- Astronomy
Spying a planet in star’s dusty veil
Astronomers blocked out the light of a nearby star and found hints of an orbiting planet.
- Humans
Panel turns critical eye on testosterone
Existing evidence does not justify claims that testosterone treatments can relieve or prevent age-related problems in men, a panel of medical experts has concluded.
- Astronomy
Alien stars pass close to home
Stars from an alien galaxy are raining down on our own Milky Way and passing just a few hundred light-years from Earth.
- Health & Medicine
Nanoparticles hunt down and kill tumors
Gold nanoparticles, injected into mouse tumors and exposed to light, have been found to destroy cancer cells, a treatment approach that may one day offer an alternative to surgery.
- Physics
Hints emerge of a four-quark particle
Previously observed only in twos, threes, and perhaps in fives, quarks and antiquarks in a newfound particle may have glommed together to form a never-before-seen foursome.
- Ecosystems
New Farmers: Salt marsh snails plow leaves, fertilize fungus
A salt marsh snail works the leaves of a plant in what researchers say looks like a simple form of farming.
- Physics
Doppler Toppler: Experiment upends normal frequency shift
The expected drop in frequency of a signal from a receding source—the Doppler effect—becomes a frequency increase when a high-current electric pulse creates extraordinary electromagnetic conditions in a web of electrical components.
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Allies in Therapy: Depression fix feeds off patient-therapist bond
Psychotherapy's ability to quell symptoms of depression may depend more on the therapeutic alliance, a measure of the bond between patient and therapist, than on any specific techniques wielded by the therapist.
- Paleontology
Proud paleontologists proclaim: It’s a boy!
Marine sediments deposited about 425 million years ago have yielded what scientists contend is the world’s oldest undoubtedly male fossil.
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Seek and Destroy: Virus attacks cancer, spares normal cells
A virus carried by mosquitoes naturally homes in on cancer cells and destroys them.
- Earth
Cloud Chemistry: Atmospheric scientists dissect cirrus clouds
Cirrus cloud formation is influenced by the particles in the atmosphere, including pollutants.
