All Stories
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ChemistryWhy death smells so deadly
Pinning down animals' odor detectors gives researchers a way to study aversion or attraction to certain objects. And understanding how these behavioral responses work will help researchers clarify why humans feel disgust.
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Science & SocietyScience slowdown
The recent federal government shutdown, which furloughed more than 800,000 government workers and may have cost the nation as much as $24 billion, has sent ripples through the nation’s scientific research enterprise.
By Beth Mole -
NeuroscienceThe Inconstant Gardener
Microglia, the same immune cells that help sculpt the developing brain, may do damage later in life .
By Susan Gaidos -
Health & MedicineOld drug, new tricks
Metformin, cheap and widely used for diabetes, takes a swipe at cancer.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineExercise while pregnant may boost baby’s brain
Babies born to moms who exercised during pregnancy showed higher levels of brain maturity.
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Health & MedicineNicotine withdrawal linked to specific brain cells in mice
A group of cells within one brain region may control the physical symptoms that plague people trying to kick their cigarette addiction.
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NeuroscienceBrain reconstruction hints at dinosaur communication
T. rex and other dinos might have understood complex vocal calls.
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GeneticsDogs’ origins lie in Europe
First domesticated canines did not live in China or Middle East, a study of mitochondrial DNA finds.
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PhysicsSingle photon detected but not destroyed
Researchers build first instrument that can witness the passage of a light particle without absorbing it.
By Andrew Grant -
Quantum PhysicsQuantum information storage that lasts and lasts
Physicists have stored a snippet of quantum information at room temperature for more than 1,000 times the previous record.
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NeuroscienceTeenagers act impulsively when facing danger
Brain activity may help explain why crime peaks during the teenage years.
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AnimalsTibet may be ancient home of big cats
A recently discovered fossil skull and teeth suggest that the ancestor of all big cats lived in what's now Tibet.