News
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LifeInflammation feeds E. coli
Inflammation, normally a defense against microbes, may become counterproductive in the gut by feeding disease-causing bacteria.
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ArchaeologyA king’s final hours, told by his mortal remains
The skeleton of Richard III reveals a violent and chaotic end for a controversial English monarch.
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SpaceSupernova’s death throes revealed
In archival images, astronomers see giant star’s activity in weeks before supernova.
By Andrew Grant -
EarthMagnitude 8.0 earthquake strikes Solomon Islands
Temblor is the largest in a month of seismic activity on Australian-Pacific plate boundary.
By Erin Wayman -
Health & MedicineLink between obesity and vitamin D clarified
People carrying gene variants tied to weight are also prone to deficiency of the sun-derived nutrient, but not vice versa.
By Nathan Seppa -
AnimalsMole sniffs the world in stereo
Nostrils of the common mole recognize slight differences in smells to steer it toward its food.
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HumansEarlier Neandertal demise suggested by redating
Using an improved radiocarbon method, researchers challenge the notion that the species hung on in Iberia for millennia after modern humans arrived in Europe.
By Erin Wayman -
Health & MedicineNothing to fear but suffocation
People with a rare brain disorder don’t get scared — except when they breathe carbon dioxide.
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ChemistryGold-digging microbe
By spitting out a molecule, a bacterium draws solid gold out of solution.
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OceansLife found deep below Antarctic ice
Lake buried under 800 meters of ice hosts cells, researchers find.
By Janet Raloff -
Health & MedicineSome service members sleep too little
Of active-duty military personnel seeking help for sleep complaints, two-thirds get six or less hours per night.
By Nathan Seppa -
LifePigeons’ prominent plumage traces to one gene
A mutation responsible for ruffs, crests and collars appears to have arisen once and then passed among species through breeding.