News
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AnimalsPoor Devils: Critters’ fights transmit cancer
Tasmanian devils transmit cancer cells when they bite each other during routine squabbles, producing lesions that are often fatal.
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AstronomyGalactic cannibalism
A highly elongated group of stars is most likely a dwarf galaxy that is being gobbled up by the Milky Way.
By Ron Cowen -
Earth2005 was warmest year on record
Last year's global average temperature was the warmest since scientists began compiling records in the late 1800s.
By Sid Perkins -
EarthManganese can make water toxic
Drinking water contaminated with manganese can subtly limit a child's intellectual development.
By Janet Raloff -
Health & MedicineRotavirus vaccines pass big safety tests
The largest industry-funded medical trials in history have found that two new vaccines are both safe and effective against life-threatening childhood diarrhea caused by rotavirus.
By Ben Harder -
Health & MedicineTumor’s border cells told to leave
Cells on a tumor's outer layer that touch healthy tissue receive a chemical signal that sends them wandering away.
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EarthWarming climate will slow ocean circulation
Later this century, rising concentrations of greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere could slow the ocean currents that bring warm waters to the North Atlantic.
By Sid Perkins -
AnimalsNew candidates for smallest vertebrate
Two recent scientific papers have described fish species that could, depending on the definition, be the world's smallest known vertebrate.
By Susan Milius -
Health & MedicineDiabetes most often begins in March
A person's likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes varies seasonally and is about 50 percent higher in March than in August.
By Ben Harder -
HumansYoung Scientists Get Results: Science, math, and engineering competition selects 40 talented finalists
Forty high school students have each earned a spot as a finalist in the 65th annual Intel Science Talent Search.
By Ben Harder -
Health & MedicineDouble Dose: Two ways to boost kidney-transplant viability
By evaluating kidneys obtained for transplant from older people—then culling the worn-out organs—scientists can identify kidneys likely to last longer in their new hosts, especially when implanted in pairs.
By Nathan Seppa -
AnimalsEggs Scramble: Fungi trick termites into babysitting
A fungus may be taking advantage of hardworking termite nursemaids by tricking them into tending egg-shaped fungal reproductive bodies along with real termite eggs.
By Susan Milius