All Stories

  1. Quantum Physics

    Robert Redford film foretold Shor’s quantum computing bombshell

    Twenty years ago, Peter Shor showed how quantum computers could break secret codes, turning the movie Sneakers from fiction to fact.

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  2. Earth

    Huge space rock rattled Earth 3 billion years ago

    An asteroid almost as wide as Rhode Island may have plowed into Earth 3.26 billion years ago, leaving its mark in South Africa’s Barberton greenstone belt.

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  3. Computing

    App could cut jet lag short

    A new app calculates lighting schedules to help travelers adjust quickly to new time zones.

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  4. Astronomy

    Neutrinos from space rain down from all directions

    Using Earth as a filter, scientists detect thousands of neutrinos from beyond the solar system.

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  5. Paleontology

    La Brea Tar Pits yield exquisite Ice Age bees

    Ancient bee pupae snug in leafy nest give clues to Pleistocene climate.

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  6. Life

    Amoebas’ munching may cause diarrheal disease

    Amoebas biting and swallowing pieces of human cells may be what causes amebic dysentery, a potentially fatal diarrheal disease in the developing world.

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  7. Life

    Males compete all the way to sperm shape

    An association between the ratio of certain proteins in mouse sperm and sexual competition raises many questions about what exactly gives a sperm a good head.

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  8. Quantum Physics

    Small step taken for quantum communication

    A single atom can change the state of a photon, which may help build quantum networks.

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  9. Animals

    Small sperm whale species share a diet

    Dwarf and pygmy species of sperm whales overlap in what they eat, and that could be a problem as the food web changes around them.

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  10. Tech

    Atlantic razor clam inspires robot to dig deeper

    A robot digs using the same method as the Atlantic razor clam.

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  11. Cosmology

    Speed of early universe’s expansion determined

    The rate known as the Hubble constant is measured with great precision for the universe of 11 billion years ago.

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  12. Astronomy

    Diamond ring shape formed by dead and living stars

    Abell 33 is a planetary nebula, the remains of a star, beautifully aligned with another star.

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