Vol. 192 No. 2
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More Stories from the August 19, 2017 issue

  1. Archaeology

    Copper in Ötzi the Iceman’s ax came from surprisingly far away

    Copper for the ancient Iceman’s blade traveled about 500 kilometers to his northern Italian home region.

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  2. Neuroscience

    Brain activity helps build an alpha male

    In mice, nerve cells in the prefrontal cortex influence whether an individual is dominant or submissive.

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  3. Animals

    Ravens pass tests of planning ahead in unnatural tasks

    Clever birds may have evolved their own broad powers of apelike thinking about the future.

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  4. Physics

    Scientists peek inside the mind of Maxwell’s demon

    Scientists probe information retained by Maxwell’s demon.

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  5. Archaeology

    Humans first settled in Australia as early as 65,000 years ago

    Australia may have said “G’day” to humankind thousands of years earlier than previously believed.

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  6. Genetics

    These genes may be why dogs are so friendly

    Dog domestication may be the result of just a few genetic changes, including ones that made canines more interested in interacting with people.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    Cows produce powerful HIV antibodies

    For the first time in any animal, researchers elicit broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV. Cows’ antibodies could help with drug development.

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  8. Physics

    Majorana fermion detected in a quantum layer cake

    Scientists found evidence of a particle that is its own antiparticle.

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  9. Astronomy

    Fewer big rogue planets roam the galaxy, recount shows

    Jupiter-mass planets without parent solar systems are less common than astronomers thought, a new study suggests.

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  10. Health & Medicine

    Add penis bacteria to the list of HIV risk factors

    Certain bacteria found on the penis raise the risk of HIV infection, a new study finds.

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  11. Health & Medicine

    Most football players who donated their brains to science had traumatic injury

    A self-selected sample of 202 deceased football players, the largest to date, finds that the majority suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

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  12. Plants

    Borrowed genes give mums the blues

    Scientists have genetically modified chrysanthemums to be “true blue” for the first time.

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  13. Materials Science

    The thinnest films of copper look flat, but they aren’t

    It turns out that thin films of copper don’t lay flat, a discovery that has implications for computers and handheld electronics.

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  14. Genetics

    Tardigrades aren’t champion gene swappers after all

    Genetic studies reveal more secrets of the bizarre creatures known as tardigrades.

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  15. Astronomy

    Astronomers may have found an exomoon, and Hubble is going to check

    A distant object may be the first exomoon detected.

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  16. Animals

    Fossil find suggests this ancient reptile lurked on land, not in the water

    An exquisitely preserved fossil shows that an ancient armored reptile called Eusaurosphargis dalsassoi wasn’t aquatic, as scientists had suspected.

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  17. Animals

    How spiders mastered spin control

    Scientists reveal a new twist on the unusual properties of spider silk.

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  18. Animals

    These record-breaking tube worms can survive for centuries

    Deep-sea tube worms can live decades longer than their shallow-water counterparts.

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  19. Climate

    Rising temperatures may mean fewer passengers on airplane flights

    Global warming could force airplanes to carry a lighter load — and fewer passengers —on each flight.

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