News
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PsychologyCell phone distraction while driving is a two-way street
When operating a car, drivers lose a grip on messages they hear.
By Bruce Bower -
PhysicsHot and heavy matter runs a 4 trillion degree fever
Protons and neutrons melted in collisions of gold atoms have created the hottest matter ever made in a lab
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SpacePowerful collider set to smash protons
The Large Hadron Collider will operate at only half its maximum energy for the next 2 years.
By Ron Cowen -
ChemistryTiny molecules walk the track
Researchers design synthetic “walking” molecules that may one day haul cargo in artificial micromachines.
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PaleontologySail-backed dinos had semiaquatic lifestyle
Isotopic analyses of fossils suggest the carnivores had crocodile-like habits.
By Sid Perkins -
EarthSea levels erratic during latest ice age
Mineral crusts deposited 81,000 years ago in a Mediterranean island’s caves suggest an abrupt jump in sea level.
By Sid Perkins -
Health & MedicineMutations may underlie some stuttering
Defects in three genes governing basic cell metabolism are found in a portion of cases, researchers find.
By Nathan Seppa -
SpaceBouncing sands explain Mars’ rippled surface
A new study finds that dunes and ridges can form without much wind on the Red Planet.
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AnthropologyAncient DNA points to additional New World migration
Scientists have extracted a nearly complete genome from the hairs of a 4,000-year-old man, suggesting a new scenario for Asian migrations into the New World.
By Bruce Bower -
SpaceA new VISTA on stellar birthplace
A high-resolution panoramic image of the Orion star-forming region bodes well for the success of a new telescope dedicated to surveying large areas of the cosmos at infrared wavelengths.
By Ron Cowen -
Health & MedicineInflammatory bowel disease hikes blood clots
Study finds people with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis have greatest risk during painful episodes.
By Nathan Seppa -
Materials ScienceA charge for freezing water at different temperatures
Experiments use positive and negative forces to control ice formation at temperatures well below the normal freezing point.