Feature

  1. Sound Off

    By using bits of RNA to eliminate the effects of selected genes, scientists are developing new ways to study gene function and treat diseases.

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  2. Chemistry

    Energy on Ice

    Recent efforts to unlock a frozen source of natural gas deep under the permafrost and ocean floor have energized prospects for a methane-hydrate industry.

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  3. Health & Medicine

    A Matter of Time

    Some patients are diagnosed with severe heart attacks in or near hospitals that can't offer them the best treatment, but is emergency transport to a better-equipped facility worth the delay?

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  4. Health & Medicine

    Striking a Better Bargain with HIV

    Because a drug frequently used to block the transmission of HIV from mother to infant may have negative consequences for the mothers, researchers are looking for inexpensive treatments that will benefit both mother and child.

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  5. Math

    Pieces of Numbers

    A long-sought proof has forged an intriguing link between numbers expressed as sums and as products.

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  6. Anthropology

    Faithful Ancestors

    A controversial fossil analysis supports the view that, more than 3 million years ago, human ancestors living in eastern Africa favored long-term mating partnerships.

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  7. Animals

    Comeback Bird

    Looking for a long-lost woodpecker had its special challenges, including anticipating what would happen if the hunt actually succeeded.

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  8. Tech

    Morphing Memory

    A promising memory technology for future portable gadgets exploits the same atom-shuffling materials that have already led to rewritable CDs and DVDs.

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  9. Ecosystems

    Empty Nets

    New research has begun challenging long-held assumptions about the consequences for fish stocks of harvesting the biggest fish first.

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  10. Health & Medicine

    Us against Them

    New antibiotics may be valuable weapons in the fight against tougher bacteria.

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  11. Planetary Science

    Roving on the Red Planet

    Scientists review the discoveries made by the Mars rovers after nearly 18 months on the Red Planet.

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  12. Physics

    Molecular Anatomy Revealed

    Using ever-faster lasers to zap the electron clouds in atoms and molecules, scientists are making major strides toward observing and controlling the elementary quantum transformations that underlie all of chemistry.

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