Vol. 184 No. #13
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More Stories from the December 28, 2013 issue

  1. Ecosystems

    Virus-blocking insects taking over Vietnamese island

    Field trial tests mosquitoes that may stop the spread of dengue infection.

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  2. Genetics

    Ancient Siberian bones clarify Native American origins

    Some New World ancestors came from western Eurasia, not East Asia.

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  3. Astronomy

    High-energy neutrinos ensnared from beyond the solar system

    Speedy particles detected in Antarctica may point to gargantuan black holes or cataclysmic explosions.

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  4. Materials Science

    Material inspired by dragonfly wings bursts bacteria

    Silicon studded with nanostructures could act as antimicrobial coating on medical devices.

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  5. Animals

    Odd head of seahorse cloaks its sneak attacks

    Head shape creates hydrodynamic fake-out for stealth hunting.

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  6. Health & Medicine

    Simple dietary supplements could help stave off AIDS

    Many people newly infected with HIV stayed healthy on regimen involving multivitamins and selenium.

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  7. Life

    Compounds defeat malaria at every step

    Experimental drugs are first to kill all stages of the parasite’s infection cycle.

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  8. Planetary Science

    Jupiter’s Great Red Spot explained

    A computer simulation is the first to explain how Jupiter’s Great Red Spot has survived for the nearly 200 years humans have observed it.

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  9. Animals

    How koalas sing low

    Extra set of vocal cords lets males hit surprisingly low notes.

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  10. Anthropology

    Ancient hominid bone serves up DNA stunner

    Spanish hominid fossil from 400,000 years ago reveals genetic ties to Asia’s mysterious Denisovans.

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  11. Health & Medicine

    Cancer vaccine in near future foreseen

    Excerpt from the December 21, 1963 issue of SCIENCE NEWS LETTER.

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  12. Animals

    Unusual new species names of 2013

    Here are five species with tongue-twister titles.

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  13. Astronomy

    Year in Review: Meteorite makes an impact

    A falling rock delivers a wake-up call.

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  14. Life

    Year in Review: Gift of steroids keeps on giving

    Mouse muscles stay juiced long after doping ends.

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  15. Animals

    Year in Review: Odd cicada history emerges

    Brood II returns better understood.

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  16. Cosmology

    Year in Review: Planck refines cosmic history

    The satellite data hint at a slower expansion rate for universe.

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  17. Astronomy

    Year in Review: Visitor from the Oort cloud

    A visitor from the outer solar system flies past the sun.

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  18. Math

    Year in Review: Progress made toward twin prime proof

    A surprising advance sparks a flurry of work on the mathematical conjecture.

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  19. Anthropology

    Year in Review: Slain king’s bones dug up

    The king’s skeleton reveals fatal wounds.

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  20. Humans

    Year in Review: New discoveries reshape debate over human ancestry

    Human evolution appears poised for a scientific makeover as the relationships among early hominids are disputed.

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  21. Cosmology

    Year in Review: Dark energy gets more confusing

    New data raise the prospect of a ‘Big Rip’ destroying the cosmos.

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  22. Animals

    Year in Review: Canine genealogy

    Competing clues confuse the story of dog domestication.

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  23. Life

    Year in Review: A double dose of virus scares

    Outbreaks of two deadly viruses captured the world’s attention in 2013, but neither turned into the global pandemic expected to strike one of these years.

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  24. Health & Medicine

    Year in Review: Sleep clears the cluttered brain

    Some forms of brain washing are good, like the thorough hosing the brain gets during sleep.

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  25. Science & Society

    Year in Review: High court rules against gene patents

    The justices’ decision opens the way for choices in DNA testing.

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  26. Humans

    Year in Review: Language learning starts before birth

    Babies seem familiar with vowels and words heard while in the womb.

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  27. Genetics

    Year in Review: Caffeine triggers cloning advance

    To successfully clone human cells, eggs must be dunked in the stimulant.

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  28. Climate

    Year in Review: Carbon dioxide levels pass milestone

    Although scientists are confident about humankind’s role in climate change, they still have a lot to learn about the magnitude and timing of future climate shifts.

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  29. Health & Medicine

    Year in Review: Putting kids at risk

    U.S. parents increasingly are delaying their children’s vaccination.

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  30. Planetary Science

    Year in Review: Methane shortage on Mars

    A trace of the gas is not enough to be a sign of life.

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  31. Neuroscience

    Year in Review: Obama unveils brain initiative

    In April, the president announced an ambitious plan to reveal the human brain’s secrets.

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  32. Psychology

    Year in Review: DSM-5’s controversial debut

    The diagnostic manual updates disorder criteria.

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  33. Physics

    Year in Review: Below absolute zero, but hot

    Lab trickery pushes atoms to a negative temperature.

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  34. Astronomy

    Year in Review: Death of a planet hunter

    The Kepler space telescope finishes a brilliant career.

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  35. Astronomy

    Year in Review: Voyager 1 reaches interstellar space

    The planetary probe is the first human-made object to break out of the heliosphere.

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  36. Neuroscience

    The Aesthetic Brain

    How We Evolved to Desire Beauty and Enjoy Art by Anjan Chatterjee.

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  37. Particle Physics

    Higgs boson tale wins book prize

    The Particle at the End of the Universe by Sean Carroll.

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  38. Astronomy

    Top exoplanet finds of 2013

    Here are some of the year’s most notable finds.

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  39. Genetics

    Top genomes of 2013

    Scientists continue to decode the genetic blueprints of the planet’s myriad flora and fauna.

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