Uncategorized
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Planetary ScienceDusty Clues: Study suggests no dearth of Earths
A new study suggests that many, or perhaps most, sunlike stars have planets much like Earth.
By Ron Cowen -
EarthSeafloor Chemistry: Life’s building blocks made inorganically
Hydrocarbons in fluids spewing from hydrothermal vents on the seafloor in the central Atlantic were produced by inorganic chemical reactions deep within the ocean crust, a finding with implications for the possible origins of life.
By Sid Perkins -
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Health & MedicineNew route to insulin-making cells
Researchers have found cells resembling stem cells in the mouse pancreas, suggesting new ways to treat diabetes.
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EarthA crack and a fault in paradise
Mauna Loa, Hawaii's most massive volcano, may be splitting the Earth's crust.
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AnimalsVery brown sheep have a dark side
Big, dark sheep on a Scottish island are not breaking the rules of evolution after all.
By Susan Milius -
Health & MedicineReceptor may be cancer accomplice
Suppressing a receptor protein called neuropilin-2 slows colon cancer growth in mice.
By Nathan Seppa -
EarthFabulon: Looking less fabulous
The source of polychlorinated biphenyls found heavily tainting some homes—and their dwellers—appears to be a durable topcoat for hardwood floors that was widely used a half-century ago.
By Janet Raloff -
MathGetting Old, Faster and Faster
The world population is aging fast, but is still younger than we tend to think.
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Materials ScienceFishy flash
Fish alter the growth of crystals in their skin, making it supershiny.
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TechSmells like DNA
By reshuffling the chemical letters of the genetic code, scientists have made short strands of DNA that can distinguish several different smells, such as explosives and food preservatives.
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AstronomyEmbracing the Dark Side
Ten years after researchers discovered that the expansion of the universe was speeding up rather than slowing down, cosmologists are still struggling to explain the astonishing finding.
By Ron Cowen