Uncategorized

  1. Astronomy

    Neutron stars may not be as squishy as some scientists thought

    NASA’s NICER X-ray telescope finds that the most massive known neutron star has an unexpectedly large diameter.

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  2. Science & Society

    Videocalling needed more than a pandemic to finally take off. Will it last?

    Zoom and social distancing ushered in the futuristic videophone fantasy AT&T wanted and consumers rejected for decades.

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  3. Health & Medicine

    50 years ago, scientists claimed marijuana threatened teens’ mental health

    In the 1970s, scientists linked pot use to mental health woes in teens. Such concerns have helped keep the drug illegal for teens for 50 years.

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  4. Health & Medicine

    Here’s what we know about B.1.1.7, the U.S.’s dominant coronavirus strain

    Studies show the variant is more contagious and may cause more severe COVID-19 overall. But vaccines still work against B.1.1.7.

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  5. Planetary Science

    NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter made history by flying on Mars

    An autonomous helicopter just lifted itself into the air on Mars, marking the first time a vehicle has flown on a planet other than Earth.

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  6. Planetary Science

    How the laws of physics constrain the size of alien raindrops

    Physics limits the size of raindrops, no matter what they’re made of or what planet they fall on.

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  7. Readers react to million-year-old mammoths, parasitic plants and more

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  8. Enchanted by black holes? We are, too

    Editor in chief Nancy Shute discusses the new image of a black hole's magnetic fields and our coverage of the enchanting beasts over the years.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    People with rare blood clots after a COVID-19 jab share an uncommon immune response

    AstraZeneca’s and J&J’s shots are linked to antibodies that spark clots. Knowing that lets doctors ID cases and get patients the right treatment.

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  10. Science & Society

    A new book explores how military funding shaped the science of oceanography

    In ‘Science on a Mission,’ science historian Naomi Oreskes argues that funding from the U.S. Navy both facilitated and stymied marine research.

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  11. Science & Society

    50 years ago, the United States wanted to deflate the helium stockpile

    An attempt to dismantle the Federal Helium Reserve in 1971 failed. Fifty years later, the U.S. government is still determined to run out of gas.

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  12. Humans

    Neandertal DNA from cave mud shows two waves of migration across Eurasia

    Genetic material left behind in sediments reveals new details about how ancient humans once spread across the continent.

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