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Paleontology

A four-legged robot hints at how ancient tetrapods walked

Using fossils, computer simulations and a life-size walking robot, researchers re-created how an early tetrapod may have made tracks.

Planetary Science

Two daring spacecraft aim to bring asteroid dust back to Earth

A pair of daredevil spacecraft that aim to bring asteroid dust back to Earth have reached their targets and are scouting for the best sampling spots.

Health & Medicine

A new 3-D printed ‘sponge’ sops up excess chemo drugs

Researchers have created “sponges” that would absorb excess cancer drugs before they spread through the body and cause negative side effects.

Astronomy

The first suspected exomoon may remain hidden for another decade

The discoverers of the first evidence for a moon orbiting a planet around a distant star are still trying to confirm the object’s existence.

Psychology

Easing test anxiety boosts low-income students’ biology grades

Wealthier students outperform their less advantaged peers in math and science. Decreasing test anxiety may help even the playing field.

Cosmology

A cosmic flare called the ‘Cow’ may reveal a new way that stars die

A burst of light from far away may have been an odd type of exploding star or a white dwarf being eaten by a black hole.

Tech

Desalination pours more toxic brine into the ocean than previously thought

Desalination plants help offset the world’s growing water needs, but they also produce much more supersalty water than scientists realized.

Chemistry

Your phone could reveal your radiation exposure after a nuclear disaster

Examining personal electronics may help gauge people’s radiation exposure in the event of a nuclear accident or attack.

Science & Society

Here’s how the record-breaking government shutdown is disrupting science

The partial government shutdown is taking many U.S. scientists out of commission and putting up hurdles to their research.

Climate

A drill built for Mars is being used to bore into Antarctic bedrock

An autonomous drill originally designed for work on Mars has its first mission in Antarctica.

Animals

How worm blobs behave like a liquid and a solid

Blobs of worms flow like a fluid, plop like a solid and fascinate scientists.

Neuroscience

Nerve cells from people with autism grow unusually big and fast

In some forms of autism, nerve cells develop faster than normal, possibly setting the stage for the disorder, a study finds.