News
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AnthropologyAncient Slow Growth: Fossil teeth show roots of human development
An extended period of childhood evolved in people at least 160,000 years ago.
By Bruce Bower -
Health & MedicineBrain Fix: Stem cells supply missing enzyme
Brain stem cells implanted into sick mice restored a missing enzyme and extended life span by 70 percent.
By Brian Vastag -
EarthHey, it’s cooler near the sprinklers
Extensive agricultural irrigation can significantly affect local climate and may be masking the effects of global warming in some areas.
By Sid Perkins -
TechEPA council sets priorities
The Environmental Protection Agency's Science Policy Council has outlined the agency's nanotechnology-research needs.
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Health & MedicineEmerging bug pilfers DNA
A virulent bacterium invading U.S. hospitals and the battlefields of the Middle East pilfers its genes from other bacteria.
By Brian Vastag -
ChemistryScrubbing troubles
Triclosan, an antibacterial agent found in many soaps, may increase a person's exposure to a potentially toxic chemical.
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EarthHibernation concentrates chemicals
Some pollutants accumulate in grizzlies during the bears' hibernation.
By Ben Harder -
AstronomyDance of the dead
Astronomers have found what appears to be the fastest-spinning stellar corpse known.
By Ron Cowen -
TechUnlocking the Gaits: Robot tests locomotion switch
A blocky, bright-yellow robot that would look at home in a toy chest moves like a salamander, just as its inventors intended.
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MathFunctional Family: Mock theta mystery solved
Mathematicians have solved a legendary Indian mathematician's final problem.
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EarthHigh and Dry: Pollution may stifle mountain precipitation
Trends seen in meteorological data gathered on a Chinese mountaintop suggest that air pollution reduces the amount of precipitation that falls in high-altitude regions.
By Sid Perkins -
HumansBad Influence: TV, movies linked to adolescent smoking
White adolescents who have frequent exposure to television and R-rated movies are more likely to try smoking than are their peers with less exposure to these media.
By Nathan Seppa