FLEETING FOG Fog in coastal Los Angeles has become much less frequent due to nighttime warming caused by urbanization, new research suggests.
Angelo DeSantis/Flickr (CC by 2.0)
HOT STUFF Capsaicin, the stuff that gives chili peppers their heat, relieves pain by a previously unknown process.
Gubcio/istockphoto
FOLD IT A gene that only humans have can make the normally smooth outer layer of mouse brains develop folds similar to those in human brains (upper right center). The gene may have been important for the evolution of big human brains.
M. Florio and W. Huttner/Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics
TIGHT FIT The star Kepler 11 (illustrated) is home to six planets, five of which would fit inside the orbit of Mercury. Most solar systems might form with planets squished even closer together.
Tim Pyle/NASA
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Secondhand smoke exposure in womb linked to eczema in childhood
Secondhand smoke exposure in the womb may heighten risk of eczema and other dermatitis in children, a study finds.
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Beetle RNA makes crops a noxious meal
When beetles munch plants bearing their RNA, genes the bugs need to survive are turned off.
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Bees may merge their flower memories
Bumblebees sometimes prefer fake flowers with the combined patterns and colors of ones seen before, suggesting they merge memories of past experiences.
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For athletes, antioxidant pills may not help performance
Supplements of vitamins C, E and other antioxidants may blunt the positive effects of exercise training.
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Chronic stress can wreak havoc on the body
Scientists are shedding light on all the ways that chronic stress can boost inflammation and lead to serious health problems.
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Six ways to beat chronic stress
Counseling, mindfulness training and purposeful social contact may counteract the effects of chronic stress.
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Wheat reached England before farming
European hunter-gatherers may have traded for agricultural products 8,000 years ago.
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Monster black hole lurks in the early universe
A black hole weighing the same as 12 billion suns is the most massive one known in the early universe.
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Additives that keep foods fresh may sour in the gut
Additives called emulsifiers that are used in ice cream and other foods weaken the intestines’ defenses against bacteria, causing inflammation in mice.
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Scientists confirm amassing CO2 heats Earth’s surface
Rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide increase the amount of thermal radiation striking Earth’s surface.
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Physicists double their teleportation power
In a teleportation first, physicists transfer two quantum properties from one photon to another.
Science Stats
Community protection against measles jeopardized
‘Herd immunity’ to measles may be threatened by low vaccination rates in some parts of the United States.
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The eyes have it: Long lashes not so lovely
Eyelashes can’t be too short or too long without ruining their aerodynamic protection.
News in Brief
Hippo history extracted from fossil teeth found in Kenya
Fossilized teeth from the newly identified Epirigenys lokonensis, an ancestor of the hippopotamus, are filling in some of the mammoth mammal’s history.