News
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Altruistic twist in market economies
Democratic societies with market economies promote a moral ethic of cooperating with strangers who demand mutual sacrifices in joint ventures.
- Physics
Too speedy for gravity?
A new analysis suggests that five different spacecraft gained more speed as they flew past Earth than can be accounted for by Einstein's theory of gravitation.
- Astronomy
Supernova Outbreak: X rays signal earliest alert
Thanks to a lucky break and an overactive galaxy, astronomers report the earliest detection yet of a normal supernova—the explosive death of a massive star.
- Earth
Ocean ups and downs—the long view
Sea level has dropped about 170 meters in the past 80 million years, thanks in part to the thinning of ocean crust and the formation of land-based ice sheets.
- Health & Medicine
A Way Forward: Releasing the brakes on cancer vaccines
A new way to overcome tumors' defenses against the immune system marks an important step toward effective cancer vaccines.
- Astronomy
Web Special: Supernova Outbreak—X rays signal earliest alert
MARCH 5 — Thanks to a lucky break and an overactive galaxy, astronomers report the earliest detection yet of a normal supernova—the explosive death of a massive star. Advance article from March 8 issue.
- Plants
Promiscuous orchids
When pollinators aren't loyal to a single species of orchid, the plants maintain their species integrity by stymieing reproduction.
- Physics
Black Hole of Light: Laser pulses create model of event horizon
Physicists have created the optical analog of a black hole's surface of no return, a setup that could help test whether actual black holes glow.
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Aging Factor: Gene mutations may be key to long life
Some centenarians carry mutations in a pathway associated with longevity in worms and fruit flies.
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Riff Riders: Brain scans tune in to jazz improvisers
Accomplished jazz pianists are able to improvise musical passages thanks in part to a set of reactions at the front of the brain that free self-expression from conscious monitoring and self-censorship.
- Earth
Ancient Chasm: Parts of Grand Canyon may be 17 million years old
The chemical composition of mineral formations in caves along the Grand Canyon may provide fresh insight into the chasm's history, including its age and the rate at which it was carved.
- Health & Medicine
Cancer Risk: Colon growths might not be so obvious
Some colorectal growths that are precancerous aren't polyps.
