All Stories
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Health & MedicineCarbs and gut microbes fuel colon cancer
Western nations experience high levels of colon cancer, and carbo-loading gut microbes might explain why, says a new study in mice.
By Nsikan Akpan -
MicrobesGut microbes help packrats eat poison
Antiobiotics and fecal transplants in desert woodrats shown that gut microbes can help plant-eaters metabolize toxins.
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EcosystemsOffshore wind farms may be seal feeding grounds
Harbor seals were tracked visiting offshore wind farms, probably to find food, researchers say.
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EarthSandstone structures form without cement
Lasting sandstone structures form when weighed-down sand locks into stable formations, researchers find in laboratory experiment.
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Planetary ScienceComet ISON fell apart earlier than realized
Comet ISON disintegrated at least eight hours before it grazed the surface of the sun last fall, new observations show.
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Quantum PhysicsYou shouldn’t try to pigeonhole quantum physics
A quantum analysis shows a way to violate math’s pigeonhole principle, by allowing three particles in two boxes with no two in the same box.
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TechWax-coated plastic morphs between soft and stiff
Heat-controlled materials could serve as skeleton for shape-shifting robots.
By Meghan Rosen -
Health & MedicineOrganic foods may contain extra antioxidants
Contrary to previous studies, a new analysis finds that organic crops have nutritional benefits over conventionally grown foods.
By Beth Mole -
ClimateCell phone towers monitor African rains
Scientists used cell phone towers to monitor African rains, a method that could track weather in regions without robust meteorological infrastructure.
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Health & MedicinePig heartbeats adjusted with gene therapy
A biological pacemaker created with gene therapy could may one day help people who cannot have implanted electrical pacemakers.
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Health & MedicineFirst case of chikungunya, a mosquito-borne virus, acquired in U.S.
The case represents the first time that mosquitoes on the U.S. mainland have passed the virus to a person.
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AnthropologyRomanian cave holds some of the oldest human footprints
A group of Homo sapiens left footprints about 36,500 years ago, not 15,000 as scientists had thought.
By Bruce Bower