Uncategorized
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Life
Young tasmanian devil moms
Tasmanian devils have started mating much earlier in response to an epidemic, called facial tumor disease, that is wiping out much of their population.
By Tia Ghose -
Health & Medicine
The two faces of prion proteins
Scientists are learning more about the protein behind mad cow and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, including how to interfere with the protein’s production in the brains of mice.
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Climate
Another climate ailment
Global warming may turn out to be more than just a pain in the neck: Rising average temperatures could trigger an increased prevalence of kidney stones.
By Sid Perkins -
Space
Saturn’s moon may host an ocean
The Cassini spacecraft has found what may be the strongest evidence yet that Saturn's tiny moon Enceladus has an ocean beneath its icy surface.
By Ron Cowen -
Materials Science
Solar panels to dye for
Scientists show that cheap chemical dyes may one day help with the efficient capture of the sun's energy
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Life
Astrocytes are rising stars
Astrocytes, brain cells previously thought to be support cells for neurons, regulate blood flow in the brain and may aid neuron signaling. The regulation of blood flow makes visualizing brain activity with fMRI possible.
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Math
Scooping the political pollsters
Who will win the election in November? A technique from baseball stats may predict the answer.
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Animals
Not-OK Coral
First big species audit finds coral extinction risks severely under-reported
By Susan Milius -
Space
An early record-breaker
A remote galaxy is churning out up to 4,000 newborn stars a year, making it the star-forming champ among galaxies in the early universe.
By Ron Cowen -
Health & Medicine
Repairing muscle from the cell up
Skeletal muscle stem cells can fix weakling muscles in mice and could eventually lead to treatments for muscular dystrophy.
By Tia Ghose -
Earth
Howdy, neighbor!
About 800 million years ago, East Antarctica, now one of the coldest regions on Earth, abutted what is now Death Valley, Calif., one of the hottest.
By Sid Perkins