News
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Earth
13th century volcano mystery may be solved
Indonesian volcano may be the culprit in the biggest eruption of the last seven millennia.
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Humans
European cave art gets older
Ancient illustrations in northern Spain date to more than 40,000 years ago.
By Bruce Bower -
Life
Grasshoppers’ terror outlives them
After an existence plagued by predatory spiders, the insects pass into oblivion, leaving a legacy of impoverished soil.
By Devin Powell -
Life
Calcium offers clues in mass extinction
Ocean acidification during Permian period may have caused the Great Dying.
By Devin Powell -
Health & Medicine
Diet sodas may confuse brain’s ‘calorie counter’
Among regular consumers of sugar-free soft drinks, networks that equate sweet flavors with energy intake may grow numb to the real stuff.
By Janet Raloff -
Earth
Ancient volcanoes destroyed ozone
Prehistoric eruptions gave off huge amounts of a gas that erodes the UV-blocking atmospheric layer.
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Health & Medicine
Fish oil components may not benefit everyone’s heart
A six-year study finds that omega-3 fatty acids don't lower heart risk in people with diabetes.
By Nathan Seppa -
Life
You have grandpa’s chromosome tips
Older fathers pass more gene-protecting DNA to their paternal grandkids.
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Physics
The electric flour voltage test
Granular materials give off a zap just before slipping, a finding with potential implications for sensing the starts of silo disasters or earthquakes.
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Life
Invasive mite worsens honeybee viruses
Once-obscure deformed wing virus swept to prominence in honeybee colonies in Hawaiian islands as invasive pest arrived.
By Susan Milius -
Life
Microbes flourish under Arctic sea ice
Oceanographic expedition surprised to find photosynthetic microorganisms thriving under frozen surface.
By Devin Powell