News

  1. Life

    This protist unfolds its ‘neck’ up to 30 times its body length to scout prey

    With geometry’s help, 'Lacrymaria olor' can extend its long, necklike protrusion in less than 30 seconds.

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  2. Genetics

    Horses may have been domesticated twice. Only one attempt stuck

    Genetic evidence suggests that the ancestors of domestic horses were bred for mobility about 4,200 years ago.

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  3. Space

    China’s Chang’e-6 snagged the first samples from the farside of the moon

    The samples, which will be returned to Earth in late June, could help researchers figure out why the moon’s two sides are so starkly different.

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  4. Earth

    In 2018, Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupted like a stomp rocket

    The stomp rocket–like mechanism is a newly observed type of eruption.

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  5. Space

    The sun is entering solar maximum. Expect auroras, and more

    May saw the strongest auroras in recent memory. As the sun gets more active, those light shows may be a preview of what’s to come until at least 2026.

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  6. Earth

    Freshwater first appeared on Earth 4 billion years ago, ancient crystals hint

    Oxygen ratios in ancient zircon crystals suggest that the planet’s water cycle got started hundreds of millions of years earlier than thought.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    Bird flu can infect cats. What does that mean for their people?

    Pet owners can take precautions to avoid H5N1, such as keeping cats indoors and making sure they don’t eat raw meat or milk.

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  8. Life

    The largest known genome belongs to a tiny fern

    Though 'Tmesipteris oblanceolata' is just 15 centimeters long, its genome dwarfs humans’ by more than 50 times.

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  9. Life

    It’s a big year for cicadas. Here’s what to know about this year’s emergence

    Periodical cicadas are an odd marvel of nature. This year, the biggest brood of all is coming out in the U.S. South while another emerges in the Midwest.

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  10. Climate

    Warm water is sneaking underneath the Thwaites Glacier — and rapidly melting it

    The salty water, just 3.6 degrees Celsius above the ice’s melting point, is undermining the foundation of the Antarctic glacier.

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  11. Animals

    A built-in pocket protector keeps sawfish from ‘sword fighting’ in the womb

    What’s to prevent pups, with a snout that resembles a hedge trimmer, from slicing and dicing each other in mom’s uterus? Scientists have the answer.

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  12. Particle Physics

    Scientists propose a hunt for never-before-seen ‘tauonium’ atoms 

    Made of heavy relatives of the electron, the exotic atoms could be used to test the theory of quantum electrodynamics.

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