All Stories

  1. Health & Medicine

    Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine is effective, but less so with some variants

    Novavax’s vaccine fends off the original coronavirus and a U.K. variant, but had more trouble with a South Africa variant.

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  2. Animals

    Naked mole-rat colonies speak with unique dialects

    Machine learning reveals that these social rodents communicate with distinctive speech patterns that are culturally inherited.

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  3. Anthropology

    Humanlike thumb dexterity may date back as far as 2 million years ago

    A computer analysis suggests early Homo species developed a powerful grip, giving them an evolutionary edge over some other tool-using hominids.

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  4. Physics

    Diamond holds up at pressures more than five times those in Earth’s core

    Even when pummeled with lasers, diamond retains its structure, which could reveal how carbon behaves in the cores of some exoplanets.

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  5. Chemistry

    Chemists are reimagining recycling to keep plastics out of landfills

    Recycling plastics is really hard, and usually creates low-quality materials that aren’t good for much. Chemists are trying to change that.

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  6. Health & Medicine

    How coronavirus variants may pose challenges for COVID-19 vaccines

    Some coronavirus mutations may make vaccines less effective, but the immune system is multifaceted and vaccines can be updated.

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  7. Physics

    ‘Fundamentals’ shows how reality is built from a few basic ingredients

    In ‘Fundamentals,’ physics Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek shares essential lessons from physics.

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  8. Math

    How one physicist is unraveling the mathematics of knitting

    Understanding how knots influence textile properties could lead to bespoke materials.

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  9. Space

    Crushed space rocks hint at exoplanets’ early atmospheric makeup

    Experiments that heat crushed-up meteorites are helping astronomers understand what to look for in exoplanet atmospheres.

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  10. Tech

    A robot arm toting a Venus flytrap can grab delicate objects

    By attaching electrodes to the plant’s leaves, researchers found a way to snap its traps shut on command.

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  11. Climate

    How much will Africa capitalize on cheap renewable energy as its power grid grows?

    An analysis of the successes and failures of past electrical power projects across Africa suggests the continent isn’t likely to go green before 2030.

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  12. Animals

    A new orange and black bat species is always ready for Halloween

    A new species from the sky islands of Africa’s Nimba Mountains shows bats’ colorful streak.

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