Space
‘Alien Oceans’ argues the search for E.T. should include the outer solar system
In Alien Oceans, a NASA scientist explores the evidence that ice-covered moons host hidden oceans, where life could evolve and thrive.
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Cover Story
A year long expedition spotlights night life in the Arctic winter
Scientists anchored to an ice floe near the North Pole are investigating how life survives polar night and what changes will occur as the Arctic continues to warm.
Reviews & Previews
Science Visualized
Physics
How slime mold helped scientists map out the cosmic web
Tapping a similarity between a slime mold’s lacy web and the vast threads of matter that connect galaxies, astronomers visualized the cosmic web.
Notebook
Paleontology
This ancient dinosaur was no bigger than a hummingbird
The skull of one of these Mesozoic Era birds — the tiniest yet known — was discovered encased in a chunk of amber originally found in Myanmar.
Features
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Better playground design could help kids get more exercise
Playgrounds designed for imaginative play can make a difference in how much kids move
More Stories from the April 11, 2020 issue
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Artificial IntelligenceAn AI that mimics how mammals smell recognizes scents better than other AI
An artificial intelligence modeled after the neural circuitry in mammalian brains can keep learning new aromas without forgetting others.
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AstronomyHeavy metal may rain from the skies of planet WASP 76b
Astronomers saw hints of iron rain on an ultrahot gas giant, an exoplanet where starlike atmospheric temperatures drive weird weather.
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Science & SocietyNew electrodes can better capture brain waves of people with natural hair
Electrodes weren’t designed for people with thick, curly hair. A redesign is needed, says engineer Pulkit Grover.
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Health & MedicineA trick from cancer cells helps rats accept transplanted limbs
Rats that received microparticles that release a chemical signal to recruit immune cells tolerated hind limb transplants for more than 200 days.
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ArchaeologyAn ancient ball court sheds light on a game made famous by the Aztecs
A 3,400-year-old ball court in the southern mountains of Mexico suggests many societies contributed to the development of an ancient, well-known Mesoamerican ball game.
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Paleontology‘Wonderchicken’ is the earliest known modern bird at nearly 67 million years old
A new fossil find, dubbed the Wonderchicken, is a common ancestor of modern ducks and chickens.
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ClimateHow Hurricane Maria’s heavy rains devastated Puerto Rico’s forests
Hurricane Maria wreaked havoc on Puerto Rican forests in some unexpected ways.
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PhysicsNew telescopes could help spot ‘photon ring’ of the first black hole ever imaged
Expanding the Event Horizon Telescope by adding telescopes in space could help capture the rings around galaxy M87’s supermassive black hole.
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LifeThis is the first deep-sea fish known to be a mouthbreeder
Scientists found over 500 eggs attached to the inside of a parazen fish’s mouth.
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Health & MedicineHIV drugs didn’t work as a coronavirus treatment in a clinical trial
Antiviral HIV drugs “showed no benefit” when given to patients severely ill with COVID-19.
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Planetary ScienceThe asteroid Ryugu has a texture like freeze-dried coffee
Only about half of the asteroid Ryugu is rock; the rest is airy holes, a finding that could help reveal details of how the planets formed.
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ArchaeologyThis is one of the largest Ice Age structures made of mammoth bones
A massive ring of mammoth bones, built by hunter-gatherers during the Ice Age, offers a peek at life 25,000 years ago.
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Particle PhysicsPhysicists have narrowed the mass range for hypothetical dark matter axions
In two new studies, scientists search for axions within new mass ranges but the particles remain elusive.
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Planetary ScienceMeet Perseverance, NASA’s newest Mars rover
NASA’s next Mars rover will be called Perseverance.
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Environment50 years ago, American waterways were getting more protections
A 1970 bill that became the Clean Water Act helped to double the number of U.S. waterbodies clean enough for swimming and fishing. In January, the U.S. administration changed how waters were defined, effectively removing those protections for half the country’s wetlands.
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Space‘Spacefarers’ predicts how space colonization will happen
In Spacefarers, Christopher Wanjek provides an optimistic yet realistic view on how humans might colonize the rest of our solar system.