News
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EarthMighty hurricanes get mightier
Peak winds in North Atlantic hurricanes and similar storms elsewhere in the world have gained speed during the past three decades, thanks to a warming trend in many of the ocean basins where such storms are spawned.
By Sid Perkins -
Health & MedicineCalcium clue
Excess calcium in the blood might signal an increased risk of fatal prostate cancer, a new study finds.
By Nathan Seppa -
PhysicsElectrons as math whizzes
A new paper suggests the possibility that the behavior of electrons in quantum systems could verify Riemann’s famous conjecture about prime numbers.
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LifeGene linked to commitment-phobia
A common gene variation in men is linked to marital crises and less bonding in a study of more than 500 long-term couples.
By Laura Beil -
Health & MedicineOlder, not better
Having an older father might increase a person’s risk of developing bipolar disorder, a large population survey finds.
By Nathan Seppa -
SpaceCosmic heavyweight
Astronomers discover the heftiest, most distant galaxy cluster, suggesting evidence for dark energy’s existence.
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NeuroscienceNew insights on new neurons
Neurogenesis works differently in two parts of the brain. New neurons are necessary for making memories and keep the olfactory bulb’s structure but aren’t needed for smelling, study in mice shows.
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HumansHoney of a discovery
Investigators have discovered the remains of 3,000-year-old beehives in Israel, offering a glimpse of the oldest known beekeeping operation.
By Bruce Bower -
EarthIce spy
Radar altimeters on Earth-orbiting probes can detect and count small icebergs even under cloudy skies, providing warning to ships and invaluable data for scientists monitoring climate change.
By Sid Perkins -
PhysicsA difficult breakup
By identifying a new way to wrestle fluorine from carbon compounds, chemists may now be able to break down certain types of greenhouse gases before they reach the atmosphere.
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Health & MedicineA-beta on the brain
A study of 18 comatose patients finds that as brain activity increases, concentrations of a protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease also increase.
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EarthPast gasps
Earth’s atmosphere during some past geological ages wasn’t as oxygen-deprived as previously thought, new experiments suggest.
By Sid Perkins