Vol. 197 No. 8

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Science Visualized

Notebook

Features

More Stories from the April 25, 2020 issue

  1. man walking
    Health & Medicine

    The number of steps per day, not speed, is linked to mortality rate

    Researchers report an association between the total number of steps a person takes each day and the rate of death from any cause.

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  2. Dineobellator notohesperus illustration
    Paleontology

    Fossils of a new dromaeosaur date to the end of the Age of Dinosaurs

    Fossils from a new dromaeosaur recovered from New Mexico suggest these fierce predators were diversifying up to the end of the Age of Dinosaurs.

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  3. Environment

    Legos may take hundreds of years to break down in the ocean

    Sturdy types of plastic may persist in seawater for much long than scientists previously thought.

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  4. Sign warning people not to use a playground in Washington
    Math

    How large a gathering is too large during the coronavirus pandemic?

    Mathematical models explain why large gatherings are especially dangerous in an epidemic, and identify how large is too large.

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  5. Pluto
    Planetary Science

    If Pluto has a subsurface ocean, it may be old and deep

    New analyses of images from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft suggest that Pluto may have had a sea beneath its icy shell for roughly 4.5 billion years.

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  6. quasar illustration
    Space

    Quasar winds with record energy levels were seen fleeing a distant galaxy

    The Hubble Space Telescope has seen the most energetic quasar winds yet, showing these active black holes can blow star-forming gas out of galaxies.

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  7. High-temperature superconductor
    Physics

    A mysterious superconductor’s wave could reveal the physics behind the materials

    Scientists finally spotted a pair-density wave in a high-temperature superconductor.

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  8. longfin inshore squid
    Genetics

    Squid edit their genetic material in a uniquely weird place

    Some squids’ seeming ability to edit RNA on the fly could help scientists develop a technique much like the DNA-editing tool CRISPR, but for RNA.

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  9. hydroxyapatite and amelotin deposits
    Health & Medicine

    A tooth-enamel protein is found in eyes with a common form of macular degeneration

    Researchers linked a tooth-enamel protein with calcium deposits in eyes suffering ‘dry’ AMD, which could lead to treatments for the vision disorder.

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  10. Figueira Brava
    Archaeology

    Neandertals’ extensive seafood menu rivals that of ancient humans

    Finds from a coastal cave in Portugal reveal repeated ocean foraging for this European hominid.

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  11. Nazareth Inscription
    Archaeology

    The Nazareth Inscription’s origins may refute ties to Jesus’ resurrection

    Chemical analysis shows the tablet’s marble came from a Greek island, challenging the idea the decree concerned early Christianity in the Middle East.

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  12. Illustration of ancient rainforest near South Pole
    Earth

    Roughly 90 million years ago, a rainforest grew near the South Pole

    A forest flourished within 1,000 kilometers of the South Pole, probably because of high atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and an ice-free Antarctica.

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  13. brain
    Neuroscience

    ‘The Idea of the Brain’ explores the evolution of neuroscience

    Despite advances, much about the human brain is still a mystery, a new book shows

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  14. a superconductor being squeezed between two diamonds
    Physics

    50 years ago, superconductors started feeling the pressure

    Today, high-pressure superconductors are a hot topic. 50 years ago, scientists were just starting to explore the possibilities.

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