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  1. Engineering Invention: Frank J. Sprague and the U.S. Electrical Industry by Frederick Dalzell

    The inventor and entrepreneur worked for Edison before coming up with the electric railway and electric elevator. MIT Press, 2009, 288 p., $30. ENGINEERING INVENTION: FRANK J. SPRAGUE AND THE U.S. ELECTRICAL INDUSTRY BY FREDERICK DALZELL

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  2. Life Along the Inner Coast by Robert L. Lippson and Alice Jane Lippson

    Southeast waterways host tremendous diversity, described in this field guide by two naturalists. University of North Carolina Press, 2009, 454 p., $35. LIFE ALONG THE INNER COAST BY ROBERT L. LIPPSON AND ALICE JANE LIPPSON

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  3. Jump into Science: Active Learning for Preschool Children by Rae Pica

    Science education starts early through experiments that keep kids moving. JUMP INTO SCIENCE: ACTIVE LEARNING FOR PRESCHOOL CHILDREN BY RAE PICA Gryphon House, 2009, 131 p., $14.95.

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  4. Climate

    Warming has already boosted insect breeding

    Museum records, publications suggest extra generations at same time as temperature increases

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  5. Earth

    Tides in Earth’s crust trigger small, deep quakes

    Study of one portion of the San Andreas fault finds that just a little added stress from crustal tides makes a quake more likely.

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  6. Space

    Stay tuned: New star coming in 1 million years

    Radio observations of a dark, dusty cloud in a nearby star-forming region have revealed one of the earliest phases of star formation and may reveal new insights on starbirth.

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  7. Life

    Sexual conflict takes shape in ducks

    Up-close view of male ducks reveals extreme speed and extreme conflict.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Texting and driving don’t mix, just as suspected

    Sending or receiving messages proves even worse than cell phone calls for young adults on simulators.

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  9. Life

    Lupus not identical in twins

    Differences in DNA methylation may account for why one sibling gets the autoimmune disease while the other stays healthy.

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  10. Life

    Groovy teeth suggest dinosaur was venomous

    Fossils show depression in upper jaw that held venom-producing glands.

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  11. Space

    Herschel Space Observatory sees stars being born

    A recently launched infrared observatory has discovered about 700 newly forming stars.

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  12. 2009 Science News of the Year

    Brevity is in. If what you have to say can’t be delivered in 140 characters or less, you should reconsider your message — or so it seems in a world agog with texting and Twitter. Compiling Science News’ annual list of scientific highlights brought home the good and bad of this trend. Indeed, some of […]

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