News
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Life
How a flamingo balances on one leg
Flamingos’ built-in tricks for balance might have a thing or two to teach standing robots or prosthesis makers someday.
By Susan Milius -
Archaeology
Tool sharpens focus on Stone Age networking in the Middle East
Stone Age tool’s route to Syrian site covered at least 700 kilometers.
By Bruce Bower -
Anthropology
European fossils may belong to earliest known hominid
With new analyses of Graecopithecus fossils from Greece and Bulgaria, researchers argue for possible hominid origins in Europe, not Africa.
By Bruce Bower -
Health & Medicine
40 more ‘intelligence’ genes found
A study of nearly 80,000 people turns up 40 genes that may have a role in making brains smarter.
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Health & Medicine
Even short-term opioid use can set people up for addiction risks
A study of opioid prescriptions for sprained ankles finds that patients prescribed 30 or more pills are more likely to seek refills.
By Laura Beil -
Quantum Physics
Quantum tractor beam could tug atoms, molecules
The wavelike behavior of quantum particles could be harnessed to move atoms.
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Genetics
Hybrid protein offers malaria protection
Rare hybrid protein that spans red blood cell membranes offers some protection against malaria.
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Health & Medicine
Transplanted stem cells become eggs in sterile mice
Sterile mice that received transplanted egg-making stem cells were able to have healthy babies.
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Environment
When it’s hot, plants become a surprisingly large source of air pollution
During a heat wave, trees and shrubs can sharply raise ozone levels, a new study shows.
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Animals
Orangutans take motherhood to extremes, nursing young for more than eight years
Weaning in orangutans has been tricky to see in the wild, so researchers turned to dental tests to reveal long nursing period.
By Susan Milius -
Health & Medicine
Where you live can affect your blood pressure, study suggests
For black adults, moving out of a racially segregated neighborhood is linked to a drop in blood pressure, a new study finds.
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Physics
Naked singularity might evade cosmic censor
Physicists demonstrate the possibility of a “naked” singularity in curved space.