News
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AnthropologyLow-status chimps revealed as trendsetters
Outranked chimpanzees trigger spread of useful new behaviors among their comrades.
By Bruce Bower -
PlantsEnzymes aid rice plants’ arsenic defenses
Rice plant roots have natural defenses against arsenic.
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MicrobesMicrobes survived inside giant cave crystals for up to 50,000 years
Microbes trapped in crystals in Mexico's Naica mine may represent some of the most distinct life-forms found in Earth so far.
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Planetary ScienceEuropa lander mission takes another step toward reality
NASA is working on a possible lander mission in which the main science goal would be to search for signs of life on Jupiter’s moon Europa.
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Health & MedicineCommon fungus may raise asthma risk
The presence of a fungus in the infant gut can signal development of asthma by age 5.
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ChemistryHelium’s inertness defied by high-pressure compound
At pressures over a million atmospheres, helium reacts with sodium.
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Planetary ScienceCeres harbors homegrown organic compounds
NASA’s Dawn spacecraft has detected organic matter — the building blocks of life — on the dwarf planet Ceres, a new study suggests.
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EcosystemsSeagrasses boost ecosystem health by fighting bad bacteria
Seagrasses might reduce bacteria levels in ocean water.
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Health & MedicineGastric bypass controls diabetes long term better than other methods
Bariatric surgery outperforms other weight-loss measures in the longest-term study yet of diabetes outcomes.
By Laura Beil -
GeneticsHuman gene editing therapies are OK in certain cases, panel advises
A panel of experts says clinical gene editing to correct and prevent human disease should move forward, but enhancements should not be allowed.
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PaleontologyFossil shows that ancient reptile gave live birth
A new fossil shows that a prehistoric reptile may have given birth to live young, unlike its egg-laying descendants, birds and crocodiles.
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PsychologyPhysically abused kids learn to fail at social rules for success
What physically abused kids learn about rewards at home can lead to misbehavior elsewhere.
By Bruce Bower