Feature
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Rust Never Sleeps
A new flare-up in an age-old battle between wheat and a fungal killer.
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A New View of Gravity
Entropy and information may be crucial concepts for explaining roots of familiar force.
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In field or backyard, frogs face threats
Amphibians and other sensitive groups encounter chemicals across the landscape.
By Susan Milius -
DNA on the move
The latest advances from the field of DNA nanotechnology include nanobot ‘spiders’ learning how to walk and even do some work.
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A matter of solidity
A material that oozes through itself presents a super physics puzzle.
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- Space
Mining for Missing Matter
In underground lairs, physicists look for the dark stuff.
By Ron Cowen -
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Birth of the beat
Music’s roots may lie in melodic exchanges between mothers and babies.
By Bruce Bower -
Seeking a definition
Pitch is determined by a sound’s frequency. Notes that sit in different positions on a musical scale, called tones, have different pitches. Modern Western music, for example, combines 12 tones, with the A at the middle of a piano keyboard having a frequency of 440 hertz. Other cultures work with fewer tones. The first few […]
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Not just a pleasant sound
When people use music to share stories, comfort peers or worship gods, it takes on new meaning. Music’s roles vary depending on time and place. Bonding: Battle hymns, national anthems and alma maters unite people for a common cause and make them feel that they are a part of something larger. Marching bands (shown), for […]