Vol. 192 No. 10
cover of the 12/9/17 issue

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More Stories from the December 9, 2017 issue

  1. Alnetoidia alneti
    Animals

    Leafhoppers use tiny light-absorbing balls to conceal their eggs

    Leafhoppers produce microscopic balls that absorb light rather than reflect it and help camouflage the insects’ eggs.

    By
  2. amyloid-beta buildup in mouse brain
    Neuroscience

    Alzheimer’s protein can travel from blood to build up in the brain

    Experiments in mice show Alzheimer’s protein can travel from the blood of an affected mouse to the brain of a healthy animal.

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  3. fan from water strider leg
    Animals

    Here’s why some water striders have fans on their legs

    A fan of tiny, elegant plumes on their legs helps certain water striders dash across flowing water without getting wet.

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  4. cutaway illustration of Enceladus
    Astronomy

    A sandy core may have kept Enceladus’ ocean warm

    Friction in Enceladus’ porous core could help heat its ocean enough to keep it liquid for billions of years.

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  5. horse leg bone and croc tooth
    Anthropology

    Crocs take a bite out of claims of ancient stone-tool use

    Reptiles with big bites complicate claims of Stone Age butchery.

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  6. sheep
    Animals

    Face it: Sheep are just like us when it comes to recognizing people

    Sheep trained to recognize celebrity faces demonstrate that the animals have face-recognition capabilities similar to humans and other primates.

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  7. illustration of a supernova
    Astronomy

    This star cheated death, exploding again and again

    The weirdest supernova ever has lasted more than three years, and may be the third outburst from the same star.

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  8. Millennium Bridge
    Physics

    Why the wiggle in a crowd’s walk can put a wobble in a bridge

    New simulations can better predict when pedestrians cause a bridge to shimmy.

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  9. Haiti in 2010
    Health & Medicine

    Cholera pandemics are fueled by globe-trotting bacterial strains

    International cholera strains, rather than local ones, have caused raging epidemics, according to research that examined the bacteria’s DNA.

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  10. galaxy illustration
    Astronomy

    Ancient spiral galaxy is 11 billion years old

    The most ancient spiral galaxy seen to date is 11 billion years old and could help reveal how galaxies sprout arms.

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  11. Health & Medicine

    New blood pressure guidelines put half of U.S. adults in unhealthy range

    New hypertension guidelines broaden the range of those considered to have high blood pressure and emphasize lifestyle changes to combat the condition.

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  12. spiny orb weaver
    Animals

    These spiders may have the world’s fastest body clocks

    Three orb-weaving spiders may have the shortest circadian clocks yet discovered among animals.

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  13. Pluto's haze
    Astronomy

    Haze keeps Pluto cool by kicking heat out to space

    Pluto may be the only place in the solar system whose atmosphere is kept cool by solid hazes, not warmed by gas.

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  14. sperm
    Health & Medicine

    How dad’s stress changes his sperm

    Stress may change sperm via packets of RNA in the epididymis, a mouse study suggests.

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  15. hippocampal nerve cells
    Neuroscience

    Study casts doubt on whether adult brain’s memory-forming region makes new cells

    An examination of 54 human brains suggests that adults don’t grow new neurons in the hippocampus, contrary to several widely accepted studies.

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  16. brushtail possum
    Genetics

    Current CRISPR gene drives are too strong for outdoor use, studies warn

    Self-limiting genetic tools already in development may be able to get around concerns surrounding the use of gene drives.

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  17. Hedy Lamarr
    Science & Society

    Actress Hedy Lamarr laid the groundwork for some of today’s wireless tech

    ‘Bombshell’ tells the story of Hedy Lamarr’s double life as a Hollywood starlet and tech inventor.

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  18. food
    Humans

    50 years ago, folate deficiency was linked to birth defects

    50 years ago, scientists found that a lack of folic acid in pregnant women could cause birth defects. But now, how much is too much?

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  19. IBM's quantum computer
    Quantum Physics

    Quantum computing steps forward with 50-qubit prototype

    Bit by qubit, scientists are edging closer to the realm where quantum computers will reign supreme.

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