All Stories
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HumansRunning past Neandertals
Stone Age humans’ heel bones, more so than those of Neandertals, aided long-distance running.
By Bruce Bower -
PhysicsX-raying life’s microscopic machinery
A powerful new laser technique promises to reveal the cell’s molecular components in detailed, 3-D images.
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Health & MedicineNo flu vaccine link to Guillain-Barré syndrome found
A massive study of millions of people in China finds no association between receiving the 2009 H1N1 immunization and developing the rare nervous system disorder.
By Nathan Seppa -
LifeLife
New studies unveil the fire ant genome and why honeybee personalities matter, plus more in the week’s biology news.
By Science News -
Health & MedicineBioengineering better blood vessels
Durable conduits made with a tough protein produced by living cells might improve options for some patients who need heart bypass surgery or kidney dialysis, a new study finds.
By Nathan Seppa -
SpaceSpacecraft sees signs of 1,200-plus worlds
The Kepler mission releases information on hundreds of newly discovered candidate planets beyond the solar system, including about 50 that could be habitable.
By Ron Cowen -
PsychologySometimes, happiness is for bozos
Despite its benefits, happiness and its pursuit has risks, as writer Bruce Bower describes in a humorous report from the recent meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology.
By Bruce Bower -
HumansEarly cow’s milk consumption may cut breast-cancer risk
Research studies paint a muddy picture of milk’s malignant threat. Some have linked consumption of cow’s milk with a heightened breast-cancer risk. Others have suggested milk drinking might be protective. A new animal study suggests those data may not be quite as contradictory as they at first seemed.
By Janet Raloff -
LifeAnts manage incest without inbreeding
An unorthodox family structure may have helped longhorn crazy ants spread around the globe.
By Susan Milius -
SpaceAtom & Cosmos
Evidence gets stronger that Mars once held an ocean, plus more in this week’s news.
By Science News -
PhysicsInvisibility cloaks hit the big time
Using natural crystals, researchers have found a way to make objects up to a few millimeters tall disappear.
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HumansIn tough economy, PhD appears to help
U.S. residents holding PhD’s in science, health and engineering were considerably more likely to be employed during late 2008 (the most recent period for which data are available) than were Americans generally, according to a just-released National Science Foundation report.
By Janet Raloff