News
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Predators shape river world top-down
Hunting and no-hunting zones allow a rare test of the much-debated proposal that big carnivores shape their ecosystems from the top down.
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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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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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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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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.
- Planetary Science
Martian Gullies: Carved by melting snow?
Melting snow may have sculpted the recently formed gullies found at midlatitudes on Mars.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
