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  1. Anthropology

    Ancient hominids used wooden spears to fend off big cats

    Saber-toothed cat remains suggest ancient hominids used wooden spears as defensive weapons.

    By Bruce Bower
  2. Physics

    Water droplets spontaneously bounce, sans trampoline

    Initially stationary water droplets can bounce on an extremely water-repellent surface as if on a trampoline.

    By Andrew Grant
  3. Paleontology

    Land life spared in Permian extinction, geologists argue

    New rock layer dating in South Africa’s Karoo Basin suggests that extinctions of land species didn’t coincide with the Permian extinction around 252 million years ago.

    By Thomas Sumner
  4. Chemistry

    Tricky element isolated from spent nuclear fuel

    A new chemical technique makes it easier to extract the radioactive element americium from used nuclear fuel, potentially paving the way for better ways to reprocess and recycle nuclear waste.