Science & Society
‘House of Lost Worlds’ opens vaults of renowned natural history museum
'House of Lost Worlds' pays homage to Yale’s Peabody Museum of Natural History and to the colorful scientists who made the museum great.
Reviews & Previews
Science Visualized
Astronomy
To find ET, look at who’s (maybe) looking at us
To listen for aliens, two astronomers suggest that we focus on stars whose inhabitants can see Earth periodically cross in front of our sun.
Notebook
Paleontology
True nature of ‘Tully monster’ revealed
The identity of a 300-million-year-old enigmatic creature known as the “Tully monster” is a mystery no longer.
Features
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New telescopes will search for signs of life on distant planets
Researchers are coming up with creative ways to pick up biosignatures in far-away planetary atmospheres.
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Will we know extraterrestrial life when we see it?
Desert varnish and certain minerals hint that life — here and elsewhere — may defy current criteria.
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How alien can a planet be and still support life?
Geoscientists imagine the unearthly mechanisms that could keep alien planets habitable.
More Stories from the April 30, 2016 issue
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AnimalsFemale burying beetle uses chemical cue to douse love life
While raising their young, burying beetle mothers produce a chemical compound that limits their male partner’s desire to mate.
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NeuroscienceBrain holds more than one road to fear
A study on rare patients suggests that fear can take many paths through the brain.
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AstronomyCompanion star could have triggered supernova
An exploding star in another galaxy might have been pushed over the edge by a stellar companion.
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Health & MedicineCancer killers send signal of success
Newly designed nanoparticles deliver anticancer drugs and updates on tumor death.
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EarthQuake risk in parts of central U.S. as high as in fault-filled California
A new report from the U.S. Geological Survey shows an increased earthquake hazard from human activities such as the disposal of fracking wastewater.
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AstronomyEarth’s hurricanes have nothing on this quasar
In a remote galaxy, a cosmic hurricane around a supermassive black hole is driving winds at nearly 20 percent of the speed of light.
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AnimalsClimate change now bigger menace than forest loss for snowshoe hares
Shorter snow seasons push climate change ahead of direct habitat loss as menace for Wisconsin snowshoe hares.
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AnthropologyHobbits died out earlier than thought
Tiny Indonesian hominids disappeared earlier than thought, around 50,000 years ago.
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ArchaeologyAncient Assyrians buried their dead with turtles
Why did ancient Assyrians bury their dead with turtles? The reptiles may have served as symbolic protectors of the dead.
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AstronomyOdd white dwarf found with mostly oxygen atmosphere
A white dwarf that has been stripped of its hydrogen and helium provides a rare peek inside the core of a dead massive star.
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NeuroscienceNerve cell links severed in early stages of Alzheimer’s
Nerve cell connections may be trimmed too much in early stages of Alzheimer’s.
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LifeZika structure mapped for first time
The newly solved structure of Zika offers scientists clues on how to combat the virus.
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PhysicsFaint gravitational waves could soon be on LIGO’s radar
In a few years, LIGO could detect hints of faint gravitational waves from black holes too far away to be seen directly.
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PsychologyMarijuana use starting in youth implicated in financial woes
Long-term, heavy pot smoking linked to financial troubles by age 38.
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NeuroscienceForgetting can be hard work for your brain
It can take more work to forget something than to remember it.
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NeuroscienceHippocampus makes maps of social space, too
The hippocampus is a multitalented mapmaker.
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ClimateSea levels could rise twice as fast as previously predicted
Sea level rise from Antarctica’s melting ice could accelerate faster and sooner than previously thought.
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NeuroscienceLip-readers ‘hear’ silent words
Lipreading prompts activity in the brain’s listening area.
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AstronomyKey sugar needed for life could have formed in space
Sugar that forms backbone of cell machinery can form on icy grains blasted by ultraviolet light from young stars.
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EarthMost diamonds share a common origin story
Most diamonds form from fluids deep inside Earth’s interior that contain carbonate compounds, new research suggests.
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AgricultureBacterium still a major source of crop pesticide
Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria have provided pest-fighting toxins for over 50 years.
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AnimalsCave-dwelling salamander comes pigmented and pale
Something’s funny in the family tree of pale, slinky cave salamanders.
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Science & SocietyHumans have pondered aliens since medieval times
People have been fascinated with extraterrestrials for centuries. If only aliens would get in touch.
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AnimalsLethal bat disease moves west
For the first time, the bat-killing white-nose syndrome shows up west of the Rockies.
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Health & MedicineMachine makes drugs on demand
A new drug-making system rapidly produces a variety of medications on demand.
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AnimalsAncient snake wore green
Scientists have reconstructed the skin coloration of a fossilized snake that’s about 10 million years old.
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AnimalsAnt antennae provide chemical ID
Ants use their antennae to identify nest-mates and potential invaders. But antennae also produce the key compounds that ants use to tell friend from foe.