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  1. Anthropology

    Neandertals may have grown up quickly

    A new analysis of fossil teeth indicates that Neandertals grew to maturity at a faster pace than people do.

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  2. Nicotine limits cold adaptation

    A new study homes in on why smokers may have a harder time staying warm in frigid environments.

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  3. Physics

    After 40-year prep, gravity test soars

    The Gravity Probe B satellite, which was built to test aspects of general relativity, finally hurtled into space.

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  4. 19417

    While reading about the amazing properties of Archimedes’ Stomachion, I wondered whether a mere child’s toy would exhibit such mathematical precision, with each vertex falling on a lattice point of a 12-by-12 grid. Perhaps Archimedes took the basic plan of the toy and tweaked it to see what properties he could induce. Jeffry D. MuellerEldersburg, […]

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  5. Math

    Glimpses of Genius

    By studying a puzzle that Archimedes pondered 2,200 years ago, mathematicians are obtaining new insights into its intriguing geometric structure.

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  6. Physics

    The Rise of Antibubbles

    Tiny globules of water enclosed by thin shells of air in water that look like bubbles but don't act like them have recently become the objects of serious study.

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  7. Math

    Extra Time, Math, and the SAT

    Extra time on the math portion of the SAT helps the most able students the most.

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  8. Humans

    From the May 5, 1934, issue

    Steel pipes of the Boulder Canyon project, diphtheria and the blood-brain barrier, and weather effects of volcanic eruptions.

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  9. Astronomy

    Closing In on a Monster: A black hole’s dusty environs show themselves

    The first clear picture of the immediate surroundings of a supermassive black hole confirms that these gravitational monsters hide behind thick belts of dust.

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  10. Health & Medicine

    Cord Blood to the Rescue: Infusions help babies with Hurler’s syndrome

    Umbilical cord blood transplants boost overall health and survival in patients with the rare hereditary condition called Hurler's syndrome.

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  11. Materials Science

    Next High-Tech Polishing Fluid: Tea—A new brew for the computer industry

    A concoction based on green tea may speed up manufacturing of precision components for computer hard-disk drives while reducing toxic wastes.

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  12. Waste Not: Proteins suggest ways to thwart muscle loss

    Researchers have now revealed details of the biochemical signals that drive muscle atrophy.

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