Vol. 190 No. 12
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More Stories from the December 10, 2016 issue

  1. Neuroscience

    Eyes offer window into brain’s timekeepers

    In new experiments of time perception, when pupils were large, monkeys underestimated a second.

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  2. Neuroscience

    Shape-shifting molecule aids memory in fruit flies

    A prionlike protein may store long-term memories in fruit flies, a new study suggests.

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  3. Climate

    Human CO2 emissions put Arctic on track to be ice-free by 2050

    Sea ice is shrinking by about three square meters for each metric ton of carbon dioxide emitted, new research suggests.

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  4. Physics

    Supersolids produced in exotic state of quantum matter

    Bose-Einstein condensates display properties of liquid and solid simultaneously.

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  5. Climate

    If you thought 2015 was hot, just wait

    The record-setting global temperatures seen in 2015 could be the “new normal” as soon as the 2020s.

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  6. Paleontology

    Dragon dinosaur met a muddy end

    ‘Mud dragon’ fossil discovered in China suggests that dinosaurs’ last days were an active time of evolution.

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  7. Life

    Protein mobs kill cells that most need those proteins to survive

    A protein engineered to aggregate gives clues about how clumpy proteins kill brain cells.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Poor diet in pregnancy, poor heart health for infants

    Moms who eat too little during pregnancy could have babies with heart risks.

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  9. Life

    British red squirrels serve as leprosy reservoir

    Red squirrels in the British Isles can harbor the bacteria that cause leprosy.

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  10. Health & Medicine

    Popular painkiller doesn’t have more heart risks than others, study claims

    A long anticipated trial of the drug Celebrex finds it poses no more risk to the heart than do similar painkillers, but critics cite flaws in the study.

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  11. Neuroscience

    Infant brains have powerful reactions to fear

    Babies can recognize facial emotions, especially fear, as early as 5 months old.

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  12. Health & Medicine

    Restless sleep associated with heart rhythm problems

    Poor sleep, even without apnea, is tied to heart rhythm problems.

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  13. Neuroscience

    Sounds and glowing screens impair mouse brains

    Too much light and noise screws up developing mice’s brains.

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  14. Health & Medicine

    Downside of yo-yo dieting is rise in heart disease risk

    Yo-yo dieting hurts the heart, even if you’re not overweight.

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  15. Neuroscience

    Protein linked to Parkinson’s travels from gut to brain

    Parkinson’s protein can travel from gut to brain, mouse study suggests.

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  16. Neuroscience

    Despite Alzheimer’s plaques, some seniors remain mentally sharp

    Plaques and tangles riddle the brains of some very old and very healthy people.

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  17. Health & Medicine

    Heartburn drugs may raise stroke risk

    Drugs used by millions for heartburn linked to increased risk of stroke.

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  18. Astronomy

    Mysterious radio signals pack power and brilliance

    The brightest fast radio burst has been detected, while another team reveals a previous burst might have carried gamma rays as well as radio waves across space.

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  19. Physics

    Whirlpools might have stirred up baby universe’s soup

    Vortices appear in the quark-gluon plasma produced in heavy-ion collisions.

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  20. Life

    Blue leaves help begonias harvest energy in low light

    The iridescent color of some begonias comes from tiny structures that also help the plant convert dim light into energy.

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  21. Earth

    50 years ago, nuclear blasting for gas boomed. Today it’s a bust.

    50 years ago, scientists made plans to use nuclear explosions to extract natural gas from underground. In one such experiment, the gas was released but turned out to be radioactive.

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  22. Animals

    Narwhals are really, really good at echolocation

    Audio recordings from the Arctic suggest that narwhals take directional sonar to the extreme.

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  23. Environment

    Ocean plastic emits chemical that may trick seabirds into eating trash

    Some seabirds might be eating plastic because it emits a chemical that smells like food.

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  24. Animals

    Most illegal ivory is less than three years old

    Most of the ivory seized by law enforcement in the last decade doesn’t come from elephants poached many years ago.

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  25. Health & Medicine

    Antibody protects against Zika virus in tests in mice

    A new treatment for Zika relies on human antibodies and can help protect pregnant mice from the virus’s damaging effects.

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  26. Life

    Tiny toxic proteins help gut bacteria defeat rivals

    A strain of E. coli makes competition-killing tiny proteins and soothes inflamed intestines.

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