News
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Anthropology‘Java Man’ takes age to extremes
New dating of Indonesian strata has produced unexpected results.
By Bruce Bower -
Health & MedicineWhy a rotten tooth is hard to find
The brain can’t distinguish some kinds of pain coming from top versus bottom teeth.
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SpaceNot your grandfather’s space program
President Obama offers a new plan that would send humans to orbit Mars during the mid-2030s.
By Ron Cowen -
EarthAsh from Icelandic eruption may just be the start
A recently awakened volcano often goes off in tandem with a much bigger one nearby.
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SpaceFamous Martian meteorite younger than thought
The famous fragment of Mars, once proposed to hold signs of extraterrestrial life, is still pretty old. But the rock appears to have formed about 400 million years later than earlier analyses indicated.
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SpaceStormy weather on Saturn
Astronomers have for the first time glimpsed lightning storms on Saturn.
By Ron Cowen -
Health & MedicineEmbryo transfer technique could prevent maternally inherited diseases
A new technique transplants healthy nuclear DNA of cells carrying mutated mitochondria.
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Health & MedicineInsulin pump and computer mated to regulate blood sugar
A test in type 1 diabetes patients suggests that technology exists to create wearable, self-controlled “artificial pancreas.”
By Nathan Seppa -
Materials SciencePhysicists untangle the geometry of rope
Equations explain why winding fibers together does the job, no matter what they’re made of.
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SpaceBackward planets may have flipped into place
Reversed orbits among ‘hot Jupiters’ decreases chance of Earthlike neighbors.
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LifeMutation effects often depend on genetic milieu
Genetic background is at least as important as environment, fruit fly research shows.
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Health & MedicineIntentional weight loss in old age not detrimental, study finds
Among obese group, those who shed pounds as part of diet study were less likely to die during follow-up years.
By Nathan Seppa