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  1. Health & Medicine

    Coffee’s curious heart effects

    Very high or low daily consumption of coffee appears to pose far more of a heart risk than drinking moderately.

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  2. Physics

    Marrying matter and light

    Physicists have created circuit components that, in a manner analogous to atoms, meld with light, opening new ways to study fundamental light-matter interactions.

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  3. The tree of life, with tangled roots

    Two ancient, rudimentary organisms merged to create the first complex cell, new data suggest.

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  4. Schizophrenia takes fatal turn in China

    Suicides among people with schizophrenia are a major public-health concern in China.

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  5. Anthropology

    Ancient head case

    A 1.8-million-year-old Homo erectus skullcap came from a 1-year-old child whose brain grew at a rate more like that of chimpanzees than of people.

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  6. 19464

    I was pleased to read that one of the most mathematically pretty sphere-stacking arrangements (the lovely 24-cell) occurs in four dimensions. The nice thing about four dimensions is that, by letting time be one dimension and using a good three-dimensional computer-graphics package, the arrangement can be viewed on a computer. Dan RyanPhiladelphia, Pa.

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  7. Math

    Oddballs

    Mathematicians have found that it's easier to pack spheres in some dimensions than it is in others.

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  8. 19463

    Surely, you mean ale. Beer, in this country at least, is a hopped drink. Evidence of ale brewing is what Robin Birley found at Vindolanda. Beer didn’t appear in England until the late Middle Ages. Ron WilcoxBath, England

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  9. Archaeology

    Original Microbrews

    Pots, vats, and other artifacts unearthed on three continents are giving archaeologists new clues about ancient cultures' beer-brewing practices.

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  10. Math

    Euler’s Sums of Powers

    Investigating sums of powers has a long history, going back to Fermat and Euler.

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  11. Humans

    From the September 22, 1934, issue

    Giant ocean liner ready for launch, synthetic vitamin C produces unexpected cures, and systematic problem solving in chimpanzees.

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  12. Humans

    Quick Flicks

    The BrainPOP Web site boasts more than 200 animated movies with accompanying comics and activities that answer students’ questions about science, math, health, and technology. A host of characters explains tough concepts in an interesting and humorous way. Unfortunately, visitors to the site can view only two movies per day for free. A subscription to […]

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