News

  1. Why did the turtle cross the road?

    A survey of painted turtles that perished while trying to cross a highway suggests that the freshwater species need more dry land than expected.

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  2. Physics

    Electronic Acrobats: Tidily tweaking electrons’ twirls

    The first demonstration of three-dimensional, electrical control of a quantum property of electrons known as spin marks an important step toward a new type of spin-based electronics and, possibly, quantum computers.

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  3. Earth

    If It’s Wet in Malaysia . . . : Afghan droughts linked to rain in Indian Ocean

    An analysis of nearly 2 decades of weather patterns suggests a link between an abundance of precipitation in the eastern Indian Ocean and a lack of rain in portions of southwestern Asia.

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  4. Health & Medicine

    Full Pipeline: Success of experimental AIDS drugs offers promise of future therapies

    Three experimental drugs—a monoclonal antibody, a protease inhibitor, and a fusion inhibitor—performed well in early tests on AIDS patients.

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  5. Cult Anthrax: Stored slime reveals why release went undetected

    A U.S. anthrax geneticist tells the story behind his work figuring out how Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo released anthrax into Tokyo but people didn't notice anything except a nasty smell.

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  6. Dirty RATS: Campaign ad may have swayed voters subliminally

    Psychological research sparked by a controversial campaign advertisement aired during the 2000 presidential election suggests that the 30-second spot—which briefly flashed "RATS"—may have negatively affected viewers’ opinions of Democratic candidate Al Gore.

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  7. Planetary Science

    Martian Gullies: Carved by melting snow?

    Melting snow may have sculpted the recently formed gullies found at midlatitudes on Mars.

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  8. Anthropology

    Evolution’s DNA Fusion: Hybrid gene forms clue to human, ape origins

    A gene of mixed evolutionary pedigree may have transformed mammalian reproduction, leading to the evolution of apes and humans.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    Hold the Phone? Radiation from cell phones hurts rats’ brains

    A single 2-hour exposure to the microwaves emitted by some cell phones kills brain cells in rats.

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  10. Ecosystems

    Lab ecosystems show signs of evolving

    An ambitious test of group selection considers whether natural selection can act on whole ecosystems as evolutionary units.

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  11. Paleontology

    Was it sudden death for the Permian period?

    The massive extinctions that came at the end of the Permian period could have occurred within a mere 8,000 years, which suggests a catastrophic cause for the die-offs.

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  12. Possible Alzheimer’s vaccine seems safe

    A vaccine intended to slow or prevent the devastation of Alzheimer's disease appears promising, according to preliminary tests in people.

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