All Stories
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EarthPolar ice sheets are synchronized swimmers
Glaciers in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres advance and retreat together.
By Nick Bascom -
Health & MedicineImmune booster also works in reverse
Injections of the protein interleukin-2 can calm runaway defenses that damage tissues in the body, two studies show.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineWeaker brain links found in psychopaths
Decreased communication between emotional and executive centers may contribute to the mental disorder.
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SpaceChristmas gamma-ray burst still puzzles
Nearly a year after receiving a spectacular celestial gift, astrophysicists are still asking: “What is it?”
By Nadia Drake -
HumansGerms’ persistence: Nothing to sneeze at
Years ago, I read (probably in Science News) that viruses can’t survive long outside their hosts. That implied any surface onto which a sneezed-out germ found itself — such as the arm of a chair, kitchen counter or car-door handle — would effectively decontaminate itself within hours to a day. A pair of new flu papers now indicates that although many germs will die within hours, none of us should count on it. Given the right environment, viruses can remain infectious — potentially for many weeks, one of the studies finds.
By Janet Raloff -
SpaceSuperbubble harbors cosmic rays
Stellar nursery jump-starts rays’ journey to Earth.
By Nadia Drake -
LifeBiology’s big bang had a long fuse
The fossil record’s earliest troves of animal life are the result of more than 200 million years of evolution.
By Susan Milius