News
- Planetary Science
Flashy news from Mars
A streak across the Martian sky observed by the rover Spirit was most likely a meteor associated with a comet called Wiseman-Skiff.
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Monkeys keep track of small numbers
Monkeys show signs of knowing when the number of faces that they see matches the number of voices that they hear, leading a research team to conclude that these primates possess basic counting skills.
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Placebo gives brain emotional break
Placebo-instigated anxiety reduction is accompanied by sparse activity in emotional parts of the brain as well as by intense responses in neural structures that dampen pain, a new brain-scan study finds.
- Tech
Sensor measures mass of one DNA molecule
A new biosensor that can detect the mass of a single DNA molecule could lead to faster and more accurate screening for HIV infection, cancer, and other diseases.
- Earth
Antarctica’s gaining ice in some spots
Large portions of Antarctica are storing more snowfall than they once did.
- Materials Science
Lube Tune-Up: Motor oil from recycled plastic could improve automotive-fuel efficiency
Chemists have developed a technique for making high-performance lubricating oils from recycled plastic.
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Personable Brain Cells: Neurons as virtuosos of face, object recognition
Individual neurons in one part of the brain may assist in forming memories for specific sights, including the faces of famous people and images of well-known buildings.
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Grow in the Dark: Bottom-dwelling bacterium survives on geothermal glow
A newly described species of photosynthetic microorganism uses light from hydrothermal vents in the deep sea to power its metabolism, making it the first such organism to use a light source other than the sun.
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Making a Muscle: Engineered fibers grow in the lab and in mice
Scientists have created slivers of muscle that produce their own network of blood vessels.
- Health & Medicine
Attack on Elephantiasis: Antibiotic offers weapon against tropical scourge
An antibiotic called doxycycline can cure people of elephantiasis, a parasitic disease, by killing the bacterium that the parasite needs to survive.
- Animals
Dee for Danger: Chickadees add notes as threat grows
Chickadees change their alarm calls depending on how serious a lurking predator seems.
- Paleontology
Killer Bite: Ancient, tiny mammal probably used venom
Paleontologists have unearthed the remains of an ancient, mouse-size mammal that seems to have had a venomous bite.
