News
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Health & MedicineBacterial meningitis keeps falling
Vaccination against a strep bacterium and other microbes has proved a potent deterrent over the past decade, a nationwide survey shows.
By Nathan Seppa -
SpaceSurvey captures local universe in 3-D
The most complete view to date of the nearby cosmos takes in 45,000 galaxies.
By Ron Cowen -
Health & MedicineClues to autism’s roots from brain study
A new analysis finds differences in genetic activity, especially in genes controlling nerve cell form and function.
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LifeHey kitty, dogs drink like cats
High-speed video shows that canines don’t simply scoop up water, they toss it into their mouths just like their feline frenemies.
By Susan Milius -
PhysicsGators go a-courtin’ with fancy physics
Their subsonic mating bellows generate Faraday waves, a phenomenon almost never seen outside the lab.
By Devin Powell -
EarthGermy with a chance of hail
Aerial microbes can trigger precipitation and may influence global warming.
By Janet Raloff -
ChemistryNatural pain-killing chemical synthesized
Conolidine — a headache to isolate from the plant that makes it — can now be produced from scratch in the lab, opening the promising compound to study.
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LifeTarantulas shoot silk from their feet
The unique ability may give the heavy spiders a better grip and prevent deadly falls.
By Susan Milius -
PsychologyGeometric minds skip school
Villagers' understanding of lines and triangles raises questions about how people learn the properties of objects in space.
By Bruce Bower -
LifeSuspect bacterium may trigger Parkinson’s
A study in mice shows that H. pylori, the microbe that causes stomach ulcers, may also affect the brain.
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PhysicsRogue waves captured
Re-creating tiny versions of these monster swells in a laboratory tank reveals their mathematical underpinnings.
By Devin Powell