Uncategorized

  1. Genetics

    Neandertal legacy written in Europeans’ fat metabolism

    DNA inherited from Neandertal interbreeding may have helped people adjust to Europe’s environment.

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  2. Animals

    Zebra stripes may be mainly defense against flies

    The function of zebra stripes may not be for camouflage or cooling, a new analysis finds.

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  3. Earth

    Evolution of river systems

    A river’s erosion downward and across a landscape is based on a variety of factors, including terrain steepness and the arrangement of tributaries.

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  4. Psychology

    Twenty-two emotions are written on our faces

    People’s faces express at least 22 feelings – far more than the six emotions scientists previously recognized.

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  5. Health & Medicine

    Daylight saving time linked to heart attacks

    Hospital admissions for heart attacks increases after daylight savings time starts, a study suggests.

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  6. Tech

    Mindless: Why Smarter Machines are Making Dumber Humans

    Simon Head argues that computer business systems leave middle managers and workers with little creative latitude. They acquire fewer skills and their wages stagnate, hurting their job quality and buying power.

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  7. Neuroscience

    Ha! The Science of When We Laugh and Why

    Scott Weems, a neuroscientist, takes readers on a wide-ranging tour that explains what humor is and why readers should care.

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  8. Astronomy

    This winter warrior made the gravitational waves discovery possible

    Engineer Steffen Richter played an important role in the recent gravitational waves discovery, wintering at the Amundsen-Scott research station at the South Pole and making daily treks to keep the BICEP2 telescope running.

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  9. Materials Science

    Light filter lets rays through from only one direction

    Angle-sensitive light filter could improve photography, telescopes and solar energy harvesting.

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  10. Neuroscience

    Ten thousand neurons linked to behaviors in fly

    By studying the wiggles of 37,780 fly larvae, scientists link specific neurons to 29 distinct behaviors.

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  11. Life

    First chromosome made synthetically from yeast

    Work with yeast marks the first time scientists have synthesized a chromosome from organisms with complex cells and represents a major step toward lab-created eukaryotic life.

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  12. Humans

    Childhood program improves health 30 years later

    A preschool intervention for kids from poor families benefits their health as adults, especially among men.

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