News
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AnimalsAI-powered whale-spotting tech may help save San Francisco Bay’s gray whales
An AI trained to use thermal images to detect whale body heat could help warn ships at risk of colliding with the marine mammals.
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Health & MedicineDamaged DNA can spread between human cells. What could that mean for cancer?
DNA can voyage along intercellular highways called tunneling nanotubes. It’s a phenomenon that could potentially spread tumor DNA to healthy cells.
By Meghan Rosen -
ClimateAntarctic plants may face a growing fungal threat from warming soils
Soil DNA from Chile to the Antarctic Peninsula ties warmer climates to more plant fungal pathogens, with abundance projected to double by 2100.
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ArchaeologyA ‘jar’ jammed with human bones may solve Laos’ ‘Plain of Jars’ mystery
The remains of at least 37 people in an ancient stone 'jar' in northeastern Laos suggest that thousands similar jars were used in burials.
By Tom Metcalfe -
AnimalsMeet ‘Snuffleupagus,’ a newfound fish sporting shaggy camouflage
Found near Australia, Solenostomus snuffleupagus is a shaggy swimmer that closely resembles Mr. Snuffleupagus from Sesame Street.
By Jake Buehler -
Health & MedicineAfter Dobbs, miscarriage care looked different in states with abortion bans
States with abortion bans are trending away from evidence-based miscarriage treatment that includes mifepristone, compared with states without bans.
- Animals
Crabs’ sideways walk may have evolved just once
A study of 50 crab species in Japan traces the iconic sideways walk to a single ancestor, suggesting the trait drove the group's remarkable diversity.
- Physics
Water drops on soap bubble films act like merging galaxies
Water droplets on soap films orbited and merged like colliding galaxies, a technique that could help scientists study the cosmos.
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AnimalsFemale rats like a different kind of tickling than males
Female rats prefer gentler tickling, a finding that could reshape animal happiness research.
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ArchaeologyFirst evidence of Neandertal dentistry found in ancient molar
A 59,000-year-old Neandertal molar unearthed in Siberia was drilled with a stone tool – the earliest evidence of primitive dentistry.
By Tom Metcalfe -
Health & MedicineHantavirus questions grow in the wake of a cruise ship outbreak
Scientists still don’t know why Andes hantavirus is the only one shown to spread from person to person.
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PhysicsTo get string theory, you need only four physics assumptions
Tenets of quantum mechanics and special relativity, among other theoretical ideas, lead inexorably to string theory.