All Stories
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SpaceBouncing sands explain Mars’ rippled surface
A new study finds that dunes and ridges can form without much wind on the Red Planet.
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AnthropologyAncient DNA points to additional New World migration
Scientists have extracted a nearly complete genome from the hairs of a 4,000-year-old man, suggesting a new scenario for Asian migrations into the New World.
By Bruce Bower -
SpaceA new VISTA on stellar birthplace
A high-resolution panoramic image of the Orion star-forming region bodes well for the success of a new telescope dedicated to surveying large areas of the cosmos at infrared wavelengths.
By Ron Cowen -
Health & MedicineInflammatory bowel disease hikes blood clots
Study finds people with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis have greatest risk during painful episodes.
By Nathan Seppa -
Materials ScienceA charge for freezing water at different temperatures
Experiments use positive and negative forces to control ice formation at temperatures well below the normal freezing point.
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Science & SocietyIn Memoriam: In life and death, a scientist brings out the best in others
BLOG: Science News reporter Bruce Bower describes how relationship researchers gathered to honor Caryl Rusbult’s influential career after her recent death.
By Bruce Bower -
SpacePluto blushes red
Newly released Hubble images of Pluto show an abrupt and unexplained color change.
By Ron Cowen -
LifeSperm’s pore propulsion
Scientists identify a key proton channel that helps explain the dash to fertilization.
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Health & MedicineProtein clumps like a prion, but proves crucial for long-term memory
Study in slugs hints that some molecular 'misbehavior' in neurons may help solidify learning.
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AgricultureEPA reviews hints of weed killer’s fetal risks
The Environmental Protection Agency will be convening meetings of its Scientific Advisory Panel on pesticides throughout 2010 to probe concerns about the safety of atrazine, a weed killer on which most American corn growers rely. The first meeting of these outside experts started Tuesday. And although a large number of studies have indicated that atrazine can perturb hormones in animals and human cells — and might even pose a possible risk of cancer amongst heavily exposed people, these outcomes were not the focus of EPA’s review Tuesday. Risks to babies were.
By Janet Raloff -
EarthOldest feathered dino shows its colors
Analysis of a fossil suggests plumage first evolved for display, not flight.
By Sid Perkins -
EarthFlorida’s big chill may have hammered corals near shore
January cold snap caused rare wintertime coral bleaching and die-offs for Florida’s coral reefs.
By Susan Milius