News in Brief

  1. Astronomy

    More mysterious extragalactic signals detected

    Five more fast radio bursts from other galaxies have shown up and one of them is a double.

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  2. Life

    DNA doubled in conifer ancestors

    The genomes of conifers — pine, cypress and yew trees — doubled twice in the distant past.

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  3. Neuroscience

    Taste is all in your head

    By targeting certain nerve cells in a mouse’s brain, scientists made plain water turn bitter or sweet.

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  4. Planetary Science

    Phobos to create ring around the Red Planet

    Mars’ moon Phobos will shatter and create a temporary ring around Mars 20 million to 40 million years from now.

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  5. Tech

    Roses rigged with electrical circuits

    Bioelectric molecules can form wires and conduct electricity in cut roses, researchers find.

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  6. Planetary Science

    Glimpse of baby planet shows what to expect when a star is expecting

    A baby planet is still growing in the disk of gas that encircles a young star.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    Study brews up more evidence for coffee’s health benefits

    Drinking up to five cups of coffee a day reduced the risk of dying early from heart and brain diseases and suicide.

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  8. Plants

    Ancient gardeners saved the gourd

    Domestication might have helped early vine plants like pumpkin survive after seed-dispersing megafauna went extinct.

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  9. Anthropology

    DNA puts Neandertal relatives in Siberia for 60,000 years

    Recovered DNA suggests Denisovans inhabited Siberia for around 60,000 years.

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  10. Planetary Science

    Mighty winds fuel megastorms on Titan

    Saturn’s moon Titan might produce long-lasting storms squalls that flood the surface with liquid methane.

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  11. Health & Medicine

    Blood-brain barrier jiggled loose to deliver medicine

    Using ultrasounds, doctors attempted to slip a chemotherapy drug into a woman’s brain through the blood-brain barrier.

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  12. Health & Medicine

    Cardiac risks rise for linemen during football season

    Linemen on a football team face raised cardiac risk over the course of a season, a study of college players shows.

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