Notebook

  1. Astronomy

    In 1968, scientists thought they were close to detecting gravity waves

    Despite an unverified discovery in 1968, spacetime ripples remained elusive for nearly 50 years.

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  2. Animals

    Leaf-cutter ants pick up the pace when they sense rain

    Leaf-cutter ants struggle to carry wet leaves, so they run to avoid rain.

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  3. Paleontology

    These newfound frogs have been trapped in amber for 99 million years

    Trapped in amber, 99-million-year-old frog fossils reveal the amphibians lived in a wet, tropical climate.

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  4. Health & Medicine

    At-home telomere testing is not a reliable marker of aging, researcher says

    Telomere testing for consumers offers a poor measure of “biological age,” says Johns Hopkins oncologist Mary Armanios.

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  5. Tech

    50 years ago, NASA astronauts prepared to return to space

    Apollo 7 crewmembers underwent their first major tests 50 years ago. Today, U.S. astronauts struggle to get into space.

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  6. Health & Medicine

    Blame opioids for a fifth of young adult deaths in the United States

    Of young adults aged 25 to 34 who died in 2016, 20 percent of those deaths were opioid-related.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    Even in the shade, a car’s interior can get lethally hot

    A car’s interior can get lethally hot on summer days, even when it’s parked in the shade.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    The CDC advises: Don’t swallow the water in a hotel swimming pool

    In a 15-year period, hotel swimming pools and water parks had the highest number of swimming-related disease outbreaks in the United States.

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  9. Animals

    50 years ago, scientists warned of a sparrow’s extinction

    Only 17 dusky seaside sparrows remained in 1968. Today, there are none.

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  10. Animals

    With a little convincing, rats can detect tuberculosis

    TB-sniffing rats prove more accurate in detecting infection, especially in children, than the most commonly used diagnostic tool.

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  11. Animals

    These caterpillars march. They fluff. They scare London.

    Oak processionary moths have invaded England and threatened the pleasure of spring breezes.

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  12. Math

    Real numbers don’t cut it in the real world, this physicist argues

    Physicist Nicolas Gisin argues that real numbers don’t properly represent the natural world, which is a good thing for free will.

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