News
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MicrobesHorsetail spores don’t need legs to jump
Forget legs. A plant uses curly, humidity-controlled ribbons to make epic leaps.
By Susan Milius -
AnimalsAvoiding feces may be ‘luxury’ wild mice can’t afford
For a mouse in the woods, finding any food at all may trump poopy locations.
By Susan Milius -
ChemistryMeteorite that fell last year contains surprising molecules
Compounds in space rocks like the one that broke up over California may have helped seed life on Earth.
By Andrew Grant -
MathEgypt wasn’t built in a day, but it did rise quickly
New timeline of ancient civilization’s earliest days finds little time between earliest villages and dominant centralized state.
By Andrew Grant -
HumansBabies perk up to sounds of ancient hazards
Evolution has primed infants to focus on noises linked to longstanding dangers, a new study finds.
By Bruce Bower -
LifeMany genes in dolphins and bats evolved in the same way to allow echolocation
Widespread changes scattered across the genomes of distantly related species cooperated to craft the trait.
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Health & MedicineDevice offers promise of no brain tumor left behind
A new technique might allow surgeons to identify with precision where brain cancer ends and healthy tissue begins.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineGut infections keep mice lean
Bacteria can invade one rodent from another, preventing both from getting fat.
By Meghan Rosen -
AstronomyRadio telescope images reveal nebula’s heart of carbon
ALMA takes detailed look at elements surrounding dying star.
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AnimalsRats induced into hibernation-like state
Injection of compound causes animals to slow heartbeat, lower body temperature.
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Health & MedicineTest could warn of problems for kidney transplant recipients
A urine test for an immune protein might tell doctors whether a patient is headed for trouble.
By Nathan Seppa -
ClimateNo more Superstorm Sandys expected for a long time
Future conditions less likely to steer hurricanes directly into the East Coast, analysis suggests.
By Erin Wayman