News
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Health & MedicineTwo drugs are equal in preventing breast cancer
A commonly prescribed anti-osteoporosis drug works as well at preventing breast cancer as the sole drug currently prescribed for the task.
By Nathan Seppa -
HumansStudy finds bias in peer review
Researchers have found evidence of bias when scientists review data and the researcher's name and affiliation are available to the reviewers.
By Janet Raloff -
AnimalsBird hormone cuts noise distractions
A jolt of springtime hormones makes a female sparrow's brain more responsive to song.
By Susan Milius -
Health & MedicineSmall Wonder: Taking the bite out of anthrax toxin
Using a submicroscopic synthetic blob called a liposome, scientists have neutralized anthrax toxin in rats.
By Nathan Seppa -
AnimalsGrammar’s for the Birds: Human-only language rule? Tell starlings
A grammatical pattern called recursion, once proposed as unique to human language, turns out to fall within the learning abilities of starlings.
By Susan Milius -
AstronomyEnergy-Saving Space Engines: Black holes can be green
Some seemingly quiet black holes are actually efficient engines that emit jets of high-energy particles.
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EarthBrain Delay: Air pollutants linked to slow childhood mental development
Pollutants spewing from vehicles and power plants may be harmful to fetal brains.
By Ben Harder -
Nixing Malaria: DNA segment provides parasite resistance
A section of the mosquito genome appears to give the insects a natural resistance to malaria.
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EarthSeismic Speed Traps: Iron-rich regions may slow deep-Earth vibes
Large quantities of iron-rich minerals may be responsible for the sluggishness of seismic waves traveling through certain regions deep within Earth.
By Sid Perkins -
PhysicsUniverse in Flux: Constant of nature might have changed
Researchers have found signs that one of the constants of nature has undergone a subtle shift since the universe's infancy.
By Peter Weiss -
TechLong-lasting liposomes
A coat of nanoparticles can prevent a popular lab-made capsule from fusing with its neighbors and losing its structure.
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PaleontologyDinosaur neck size reaches new extreme
Scientists have unearthed remains of a massive, plant-eating dinosaur whose neck may have been twice as long as its body.
By Sid Perkins