News
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LifeBorneo tough for red-haired vegans
Island’s natural fruit supply iffy for orangutans.
By Susan Milius -
LifeWalking may have had wet start
Based on the way that primitive lungfish use their fins to move along tank bottoms, researchers argue for an underwater start to four-legged locomotion.
By Nick Bascom -
PhysicsTantalizing hints of long-sought particle
Europe’s LHC collider finds traces of what could be the Higgs boson, a theoretical entity that explains why matter has mass.
By Devin Powell -
EarthAcid test points to coming fish troubles
Young fish can suffer severe damage from the ocean acidification expected within this century.
By Janet Raloff -
Health & MedicineGene therapy helps counter hemophilia B
Treatment enables cells to produce a key blood-clotting compound, allowing some patients to quit medication.
By Nathan Seppa -
ChemistryDeep-sea battery comes to light
Microbes fuel a weak electrical current at hydrothermal vents.
By Devin Powell -
EarthWeather affects timing of some natural hazards
Seasonal patterns in earthquakes and volcanic eruptions can be linked to rain and snow in certain locations.
By Alexandra Witze and Devin Powell -
HumansTools of a kind
People in southern Arabia around 100,000 years ago made tools like those of East Africans.
By Bruce Bower -
LifeMere fear shrinks bird families
Just hearing recordings of predators, in the absence of any real danger, caused sparrows to raise fewer babies.
By Susan Milius -
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LifeCilia control eating signal
Little hairlike appendages in brain cells control weight by sequestering an appetite hormone.
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Health & MedicineBedbugs not averse to inbreeding
The pests have also developed ways to resist common insecticides, research shows.
By Nathan Seppa