News
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Model Mice: Blood reveals signs of pancreatic cancer
Mice that develop pancreatic cancer show signs of the disease long before malignant tumors arise, just as people with this type of cancer do.
By John Travis - Earth
Gemstone Geography: New technique discerns emeralds’ beginnings
Water molecules trapped inside the minuscule channels of an emerald harbor telltale signs of the gem's geographic origin.
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Genome made quickly from scratch
Scientists have synthesized a viral genome in record time.
- Astronomy
Spying a planet in star’s dusty veil
Astronomers blocked out the light of a nearby star and found hints of an orbiting planet.
- Humans
Panel turns critical eye on testosterone
Existing evidence does not justify claims that testosterone treatments can relieve or prevent age-related problems in men, a panel of medical experts has concluded.
By Ben Harder - Astronomy
Alien stars pass close to home
Stars from an alien galaxy are raining down on our own Milky Way and passing just a few hundred light-years from Earth.
By Ron Cowen - Health & Medicine
Nanoparticles hunt down and kill tumors
Gold nanoparticles, injected into mouse tumors and exposed to light, have been found to destroy cancer cells, a treatment approach that may one day offer an alternative to surgery.
- Physics
Hints emerge of a four-quark particle
Previously observed only in twos, threes, and perhaps in fives, quarks and antiquarks in a newfound particle may have glommed together to form a never-before-seen foursome.
By Peter Weiss - Ecosystems
New Farmers: Salt marsh snails plow leaves, fertilize fungus
A salt marsh snail works the leaves of a plant in what researchers say looks like a simple form of farming.
By Susan Milius - Physics
Doppler Toppler: Experiment upends normal frequency shift
The expected drop in frequency of a signal from a receding source—the Doppler effect—becomes a frequency increase when a high-current electric pulse creates extraordinary electromagnetic conditions in a web of electrical components.
By Peter Weiss -
Allies in Therapy: Depression fix feeds off patient-therapist bond
Psychotherapy's ability to quell symptoms of depression may depend more on the therapeutic alliance, a measure of the bond between patient and therapist, than on any specific techniques wielded by the therapist.
By Bruce Bower - Paleontology
Proud paleontologists proclaim: It’s a boy!
Marine sediments deposited about 425 million years ago have yielded what scientists contend is the world’s oldest undoubtedly male fossil.
By Sid Perkins