Life
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Animals
Basking sharks head south for winter
Satellite-tagging data suggest that basking sharks migrate south to the Caribbean in winter.
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Earth
U.S. radiation dose has doubled
New analysis finds radiation-based medical procedures have skyrocketed.
By Janet Raloff -
Life
Portuguese trove of trilobite fossils
Fossils include largest known trilobite specimen and groups of the ancient arthropods caught in the act of molting and spawning.
By Sid Perkins -
Earth
Report of earlier, longer puberty in girls
A Danish study finds young girls are entering puberty notably earlier than 15 years ago — for reasons that remain unknown.
By Janet Raloff -
Health & Medicine
Narcolepsy linked to immune system
Genome association study finds a second connection between the sleep disorder and the body's disease-fighting apparatus
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Life
Ants may be the Undead
Living Argentine ant workers may carry the chemical signatures of death along with an override signal that says, "No undertaker needed yet."
By Susan Milius -
Paleontology
Soft tissue from a dino fossil
Researchers have uncovered soft tissue and fragments of several proteins from a hadrosaur.
By Sid Perkins -
Life
Expansive genetic diversity in Africa revealed
Largest genetic study of African populations yields clues about the origin of modern humans and the ancestry of African-Americans
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Life
Birds bust a move to musical beats
Parrots and possibly other vocal-mimicking animals can synchronize their movements to a musical beat, two new studies suggest.
By Bruce Bower -
Health & Medicine
Institute of Medicine takes on conflicts of interest
The Institute of Medicine seeks to divorce medical research from undue influence by the pharmaceutical and medical-device industries.
By Janet Raloff -
Life
Connectivity may play role in autism
Large studies of autism suggest connections between neurons are the culprit.
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Life
Mimivirus up close
Scientists get a closer look at the structure of mimivirus, the largest virus in the world.