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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Physics

    Uncovering the science of sand dune ‘booms’

    Mechanical engineer and geophysicist Nathalie Vriend explores noises in the desert that are triggered by sand sliding down dunes.

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  2. Psychology

    Baby marmosets imitate parents’ sounds

    Vocal learning may work similarly in marmoset monkeys, songbirds and humans.

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  3. Ecosystems

    Noise made by humans can be bad news for animals

    Animals live in a world of sounds. Clever experiments are finally teasing out how human-made noise can cause dangerous distractions.

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  4. Planetary Science

    Comet lander’s exploration cut short

    The comet lander Philae made history with its touchdown on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, but a series of small hiccups prevented the robot from recharging its batteries, giving it only about 57 hours to explore the alien world.

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