News
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LifeTeamwork keeps fire ants high and dry
Scientists get a look at the physics that floats a bug's boat.
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EarthVolcanic ash gets its close-up
Last year’s eruption in Iceland spit out supersharp and potentially harmful particles, nanoscale images show.
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PhysicsSalt clouds relieve some Arctic warming
Sea sprays from increasingly open waters exert a cooling effect in the region.
By Janet Raloff -
PsychologyWhy some gorillas go unseen
Attention differences help to explain why some people don't notice surprising sights.
By Bruce Bower -
SpaceDry ice, wetter Mars
A previously unknown reservoir of frozen carbon dioxide could periodically vaporize, thickening the atmosphere and allowing liquid water to flow on the Red Planet’s surface.
By Ron Cowen -
EarthOzone loss made tropics rainier
Hole over Antarctica changes weather patterns all the way to the equator, simulations suggest.
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ChemistryPesticides tied to lower IQ in children
Chemicals once sprayed in homes — and still used on farms — were found to have significant effects in three studies.
By Janet Raloff -
Health & MedicineFlies on meth burn through sugar
Cellular effects may explain why addicts often have a sweet tooth.
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Health & MedicineMucus-related gene tied to lung disease
People with pulmonary fibrosis are much more likely to make excess amounts of a normally beneficial protein, a study finds.
By Nathan Seppa -
LifeGut bacteria come in three flavors
Everybody has one of a trio of types — and which one seems to be less important than how the bugs behave.
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PhysicsScientists see the one-way light
Nonlinear materials that allow directional discrimination of waves could be used to make components for light-based computers.
By Devin Powell -
HumansKilling fields of ancient Syria revealed
Stone corrals were used to trap whole herds of animals for mass slaughter.