News
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AnimalsSea creatures’ sticky ‘mucus houses’ catch ocean carbon really fast
A new deepwater laser tool measures the carbon-filtering power of snot nets created by little-known sea animals called giant larvaceans.
By Susan Milius -
NeuroscienceA baby’s pain registers in the brain
EEG recordings can help indicate whether a newborn baby is in pain, a preliminary study suggests.
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Planetary ScienceHere’s how an asteroid impact would kill you
Most deaths caused by an asteroid impact would result from shock waves and winds generated from the blast, rather than effects such as earthquakes and tsunamis, new simulations show.
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AnthropologyWater tubing accidents, table run-ins cause Neandertal-like injuries
People’s injury patterns today can’t explain how Neandertals got so many head wounds.
By Bruce Bower -
ChemistryChemistry controlled on tiniest scale can create hollow nanoparticles
Oxidizing tiny iron particles from the inside out reveals how oxidation works and could offer new vehicles for drugs or energy.
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Health & MedicineLungs enlist immune cells to fight infections in capillaries
Immune cells in the lungs provide a rapid counterattack to bloodstream infections, a new study in mice finds.
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NeuroscienceNerve cell miswiring linked to depression
A gene helps nerve cell axons extend to parts of the brain to deliver serotonin, a brain chemical associated with depression.
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ClimateOcean acidification may hamper food web’s nitrogen-fixing heroes
A new look at marine Trichodesmium microbes suggests trouble for nitrogen fixation in an acidifying ocean.
By Susan Milius -
Quantum PhysicsKey Einstein principle survives quantum test
Particles in quantum superposition adhere to the equivalence principle in atomic test.
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GeneticsAncient DNA bucks tale of how the horse was tamed
DNA from ancient horses reveals early domestication involved plenty of stallions.
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Health & MedicineZika hides out in body’s hard-to-reach spots
Zika virus sticks around in the central nervous system and lymph nodes of monkeys.
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ArchaeologyFirst settlers reached Americas 130,000 years ago, study claims
Mastodon site suggests first Americans arrived unexpectedly early.
By Bruce Bower