News
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HumansFishing curbs can lead to profit
New economic models suggest that fishing crews that cut back long enough to let stocks rebound will find compensation in higher profits later.
By Susan Milius -
Macho pheromones rile fellows
Pheromones that induce aggression in other male mice are found in the major urinary protein complex in the animals' urine.
By Nathan Seppa -
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PhysicsLight Swell: Optical rogue waves resemble oceanic ones
Signals in optical fibers can combine into rare, short-lived spikes that resemble oceanic rogue waves.
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AstronomyRun of the Mill: Finding galactic building blocks in early universe
Astronomers have discovered 27 faint, run-of-the-mill galaxies from the early universe that may be some of the building blocks of giant galaxies such as the Milky Way.
By Ron Cowen -
AstronomyStellar Opposites: Sky survey reveals new halo of stars
The Milky Way galaxy possesses a distinct outer halo that orbits in the opposite direction from its inner halo and the rest of the galaxy.
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Pulling Together: Mitotic ring self-assembly revealed
A ring of proteins forms around the "waistlines" of cells to contract and split the cells in two, and scientists have now discovered how that ring self-assembles.
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AnimalsHatch a Thief: Brains incline birds toward a life of crime
When it comes to a bird family's propensity to pilfer, a larger than usual brain for a particular body size is more important than body size alone.
By Susan Milius -
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AnthropologyAncient Ailment? Early human may have carried tuberculosis
A 500,000-year-old Homo erectus skull from Turkey may show telltale signs of tuberculosis, by far the earliest such evidence of the disease.
By Brian Vastag -
Cells’ innards may share origin
Many of the internal structures of a cell may have evolved from an ancient, simpler compartment.
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Escaping flatland
Growing cells in gelatinous materials gains in popularity as more researchers realize how the three-dimensional arrangement of cells influences cell behavior—and increases the relevance of experiments.