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  1. Astronomy

    Sampling the sun

    A spacecraft has begun a 30-month mission in which it will collect samples of the solar wind and bring them back to Earth.

    By Ron Cowen
  2. Astronomy

    Watching a dying star transform

    Astronomers have for the first time caught a dying star at the very beginning of a brief, shining period, when it's known as a planetary nebula.

    By Ron Cowen

  3. For some heart patients, days are numbered

    Cardiac deaths among Chinese and Japanese residents of the United States peak on the fourth day of each month, possibly due to psychological stress from their widespread belief that the number 4 is linked to death.

    By Bruce Bower
  4. Ecosystems

    Mistletoe, of all things, helps juniper trees

    A mistletoe that grows on junipers may do the trees a favor by attracting birds that spread the junipers' seeds.