News
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Health & MedicineBreathe easy
When it comes to heart function, the concentration of pollution in the air may matter less than its chemical makeup.
By Tia Ghose -
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PhysicsLeft in the cold
An optical trap lets atoms in but not out, and it can be used to study matter at ultracold temperatures.
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ChemistryCatching your breath
Scientists are investigating how to use the human breath to diagnose diseases and environmental ills.
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HumansWorth the cooties
Boys who attend preschool classes with a majority of girls do better developmentally than other boys.
By Bruce Bower -
AnimalsPeril of play
A new study shows that playful 2-year-old chimpanzees may be particularly vulnerable to infectious diseases — some caught from humans.
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Health & MedicineStomaching diabetes
A new way to treat diabetes could recruit cells in the gut to make insulin when the pancreas can’t.
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ClimateNow that’s abrupt
Past abrupt climate change in the North Atlantic could have started as far south as China, scientists say.
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Health & MedicineTake a chill pill, T cell
Targeting a receptor on immune cells may hold promise for treating multiple sclerosis and asthma.
By Tia Ghose -
Health & MedicineColoring the body
Color MRI scans may one day be possible, thanks to microscopic, tunable magnets.
By Tia Ghose -
AgricultureA vanilla Vanilla
The orchid that gives us vanilla beans has startlingly low genetic diversity, suggesting crops might be susceptible to pathogens, researchers report.
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SpaceTwinkle, twinkle little planet
Scientists could use scattered light to identify habitable extrasolar planets.
By Ron Cowen