News
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AstronomyA fast radio burst’s home galaxy may not be known after all
The recently claimed host galaxy of a fast radio burst may have been signs of a snacking black hole instead, study claims.
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AstronomyRepeating fast radio bursts recorded for the first time
Until now, ephemeral blasts of radio waves from other galaxies have never repeated; this one erupted 10 times last year.
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OceansMagnetism from underwater power cables doesn’t deter sea life
High-voltage power cables that ferry electricity across the seafloor do not negatively impact local fish and crabs, new studies show.
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Health & MedicineScientists probe Zika’s link to neurological disorder
The link between the Zika virus and Guillain-Barré syndrome is growing stronger.
By Laura Sanders and Meghan Rosen -
PhysicsBubble blowing gets scientific scrutiny
A new study uncovers the basic physics of blowing soap bubbles.
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Oceans3.5 billion years ago, oceans were cool, not hot
Extensive new evidence from South Africa suggests that 3.5 billion years ago, Earth was locked in a cold spell, with isolated blasts of hydrothermal heat that may have helped incubate life.
By Beth Geiger -
Particle PhysicsReactor data hint at existence of fourth neutrino
A nuclear reactor experiment in China is providing new hints that a fourth type of neutrino, one more than the standard model of physics allows, may exist.
By Ron Cowen -
Genetics‘Selfish’ DNA flouts rules of inheritance
R2d2 is selfish DNA that could skew scientists’ views of adaptation and evolution.
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AnimalsRock ant decisions swayed by six-legged social media
When rock ants start influencing each other with one-on-one social contact, a colony’s collective decisions can change.
By Susan Milius -
AgricultureFDA to test foods for controversial herbicide
Amid controversy and conflicting studies, the FDA will test food for glyphosate, the most widely used herbicide in the world.
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MicrobesMissing gut microbes linked to childhood malnutrition
The right mix of gut microbes could prevent kids from succumbing to malnutrition.
By Meghan Rosen -
ArchaeologyEaster Island people used sharpened stones as tools, not weapons
Sharp-edged stone tools enabled daily survival, not warfare, on Easter Island.
By Bruce Bower