Laurel Hamers
Laurel Hamers was the general assignment reporter at Science News.
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All Stories by Laurel Hamers
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Animals
Ancient whale turns up on wrong side of the world
A Southern Hemisphere whale species was briefly a northern resident.
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Agriculture
Much of the world’s honey now contains bee-harming pesticides
A controversial group of chemicals called neonicotinoids has a global impact, tests of honey samples show.
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Chemistry
Chemistry Nobel Prize goes to 3-D snapshots of life’s atomic details
An imaging technique that gives up-close 3-D views of proteins is honored in this year's chemistry Nobel Prize.
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Chemistry
Chong Liu one-ups plant photosynthesis
Chong Liu mixes bacteria and inorganics into systems that can generate clean energy better than a leaf.
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Chemistry
Cool way to peer into molecules’ inner workings wins chemistry Nobel Prize
Three scientists will split the prize for their work developing cryo-electron microscopy.
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Environment
Radioactive material from Fukushima disaster turns up in a surprising place
Radioactive cesium is reaching the ocean through salty groundwater.
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Paleontology
This giant marsupial was a seasonal migrant
A new analysis suggests that Diprotodon optatum, a giant plant-eating marsupial that went extinct about 40,000 years ago, migrated long distances, much like today’s zebras and wildebeests.
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Paleontology
This giant marsupial was a seasonal migrant
The giant, extinct marsupial Diprotodon optatum migrated seasonally, the first marsupial shown to do so.
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Environment
The way poison frogs keep from poisoning themselves is complicated
Gaining resistance to one of their own toxins forced some poison dart frogs to make other genetic tweaks, too.
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Microbes
Now we know how much glacial melting ‘watermelon snow’ can cause
Algae that give snow a red tint are making glacial snow in Alaska melt faster.
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Materials Science
Tiny ‘supraballs’ put a new spin on creating long-lasting color
Nano-sized balls of melanin and silica generate durable colors.
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Animals
Animal goo inspires better glue
Researchers are turning to nature to create adhesives that work in the wet environment of the human body.