Science Ticker
A roundup of research and breaking news
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Tech
Exoskeleton helps paraplegic kick off World Cup
A paralyzed person wearing a brain-controlled robotic exoskeleton has made the first kick at the 2014 soccer World Cup.
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Earth
Rock made of plastic turns up on Hawaii beach
A new type of rock made from trash could mark human's impact on Earth in the future rock record.
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Health & Medicine
Bacteria linked to stress-induced heart attacks
Bacteria may play an underlying role in heart attacks brought on by stress.
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Health & Medicine
Anesthesia linked to effects on children’s memory
Undergoing anesthesia as an infant may impair a person's ability to recall details later in life, a new study suggests.
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Genetics
Wool pulled from sheep’s genetic code
Sheep's genetic sequence, comprised of 2.6 billion base pairs, offers clues to how the animals maintain extra woolly coats and when they evolved from other livestock.
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Astronomy
Revived Kepler mission bags three planet candidates
During a nine-day engineering test, the Kepler space telescope turned up three potential Jupiter-sized planets orbiting other stars.
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Physics
Precision measurement of antimatter made
The charge of antihydrogen atoms is essentially neutral, even out to eight decimal places, a new precision measurement made at CERN shows.
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Microbes
Irish potato famine microbe traced to Mexico
The pathogen that triggered the Irish potato famine in the 1840s originated in central Mexico, not the Andes, as some studies had suggested.
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Materials Science
Jets of salty water make cellulose strands stronger
When blasted by jets of water, nanoscale fibers of cellulose align to form ultra-tough strands that rival the strength of steel, a new study shows.
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Astronomy
Kepler space telescope finds first ‘mega-Earth’
'Mega-Earth' has been added to the distinctions that describe exoplanets thanks to a newly announced Kepler space telescope discovery.
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Planetary Science
Titan’s haze gives clues to clouds on exoplanets
Titan’s hazy atmosphere may help astronomers better understand what’s going on in the clouds of exoplanets.
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Cosmology
2014 Kavli Prize winners announced
Cosmic inflation, nanoscale imaging and a better understanding of memory earn million-dollar honors with the Kavli Prize.