MASSIVE MACHINES A researcher stands in the cavernous spectrometer of KATRIN, an experiment in Germany to measure the mass of particles called neutrinos.
Michael Zacher
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Magazine
In the Sept. 29 SN: Tomorrow’s burger, inside three big physics experiments, enterovirus outbreak patterns, Jupiter’s wacky magnetism, crop pests like it warm, firefly flashing methods and more.
BONE TO PICK When transplanted into a mouse, human skeletal stem cells produced bone (yellow), cartilage (blue) and spongy bone (red).
Chan and Longaker et al.
NOT JUST ONE The drug overdose problem is bigger than any one drug, according to a new analysis of the overdose epidemic from 1979 to 2016.
Leszek Czerwonka/Shutterstock
AT RISK African elephants, like those shown here in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park, are at risk of extinction because of the ivory trade.
©Art Wolfe/Art Wolfe Inc.
Science News
50 Years Ago
50 years ago, a flu pandemic spurred vaccine research
A half-century after the Hong Kong flu pandemic, scientists are getting closer to a universal vaccine.
News in Brief
Kidney stones grow and dissolve much like geological crystals
Kidney stones are dynamic entities that grow and dissolve, a new study finds, which contradicts the prevailing medical assumption.
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News
Drug overdose deaths in America are rising exponentially
Tracking rising numbers of deaths from a variety of drugs over the past 38 years shows that it isn’t just an opioid problem.
Feature
Three new physics experiments could revamp the standard model
New experiments that rely on very large machines have begun to probe the weak points of particle physics.
News
Cholesterol traces suggest these mysterious fossils were animals, not fungi
Traces of cholesterol still clinging to a group of enigmatic Ediacaran fossils suggests the weird critters were animals, not fungi or lichen.
Feature
Can science build a better burger?
Researchers hope to replace whole animal agriculture and feed the world with lab-made meats or plants.
News
Humans have skeletal stem cells that help bones and cartilage grow
Human skeletal stem cells have been found for the first time.
News
High-tech ‘skins’ turn everyday objects into robots
Robotic skins turn inanimate objects into multipurpose machines.
News
DNA from seized elephant ivory unmasks 3 big trafficking cartels in Africa
Scientists can sleuth out wildlife crime and aid law enforcement by tracing elephant DNA from ivory seizures back to the source.
News
Over-the-hill cells may cause trouble in the aging brain
Killing dormant cells in the brains of mice staved off memory trouble.
News
Daily low-dose aspirin is not a panacea for the elderly
Healthy elderly adults don’t benefit from a daily dose of aspirin, according to results from a large-scale clinical trial.
News in Brief
The TESS space telescope has spotted its first exoplanet
TESS’s first exoplanet is twice Earth’s size and may have lots of water.
For Daily Use
A sensor inspired by an African thumb piano could root out bogus medicines
An inexpensive, user-friendly device that’s based on an mbira could help identify counterfeit and contaminated medications.
Reviews & Previews
Smart plants can teach us a thing or two
‘The Revolutionary Genius of Plants’ challenges the brain-centered view of intelligence.
News in Brief
Here’s how clumps of honeybees may survive blowing in the wind
Honeybees clumped on trees may adjust their positions to keep the cluster together when it’s jostled by wind, a new study suggests.
Science Visualized
The ghosts of nearly two dozen icy volcanoes haunt dwarf planet Ceres
The slumped remains of 21 ice volcanoes suggest that the dwarf planet Ceres has been volcanically active for billions of years.
News in Brief
Here’s how many U.S. kids are vaping marijuana
A new study suggests that nearly 1 in 11 middle and high school students in the United States has vaped marijuana, raising concerns about addiction.
Rethink
A recount of human genes ups the number to at least 46,831
A new estimate of the number of human genes adds in some RNA-producing genes.
The Science Life
Confused mayflies wreak havoc on a Pennsylvania bridge
Cleaning a river in central Pennsylvania brought back mayflies, which now pose a threat to motorists crossing a bridge.
News
Nuclear pasta in neutron stars may be the strongest material in the universe
Simulations suggest that the theoretical substance known as nuclear pasta is 10 billion times as strong as steel.
Reviews & Previews
‘Poached’ offers a deep, disturbing look into the illegal wildlife trade
In ‘Poached,’ a journalist reports from the front lines of the illegal wildlife trade and shows how conservationists are fighting back.
News
Here’s how climate change is fueling Hurricane Florence
Scientists take a stab at predicting climate change’s influence on Hurricane Florence.
News
A new map reveals the causes of forest loss worldwide
A new study shows where global forest loss is due to permanent deforestation versus short-term shifts in land use.
News in Brief
This flying robot could reveal secrets of the aerial world of insects
A new winged robot with the exceptional agility of a fruit fly could lend insight into animal flight.