Earth
Earth’s inner secrets divulged in ‘Into the Heart of Our World’
A scientific journey to the center of the Earth includes just as much excitement and mystery as Jules Verne’s classic novel, a new book demonstrates.
Reviews & Previews
Science Visualized
Chemistry
Frozen oil droplets morph and shine
Scientists can turn oil droplets into an array of crystalline shapes by manipulating the chemistry and temperature of the droplets’ surroundings.
Notebook
Animals
The mites living on your face probably run in your family
Demodex folliculorum mites, which live on human skin, have probably evolved with their hosts over time.
Features
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Nuclear fusion gets boost from private-sector startups
Private-sector firms are creating nuclear fusion machines that may beat governments to the punch.
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GMOs haven’t delivered on their promises — or risks
Genetically modified foods have been studied extensively and are abundant on supermarket shelves, but they haven’t managed to end world hunger yet.
More Stories from the February 6, 2016 issue
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PaleontologyBubbles may have sheltered Earth’s early life
Bubbles formed on ancient shorelines offer scientists a new place to look for traces of early life.
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ChemistryFour elements earn permanent seats on the periodic table
The four newest elements on the periodic table gain official recognition and will be getting new names soon.
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AstronomyBlack hole burps up gobbled gas and dust
Two belches from a supermassive black hole are drifting away from another galaxy.
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PaleontologySaber-toothed salmon teeth more like tusks than fangs
Saber-toothed salmon teeth may not have been positioned like fangs at all.
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AstronomyThe votes are in: Exoplanets get new names
Arion, Galileo and Poltergeist are just three winners of a contest to name planets and suns in 20 solar systems.
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AstronomyThis black hole is an extreme recycler
A cosmic pump powered by a supermassive black hole is recycling gas through a galaxy.
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GeneticsThe Iceman tells a new tale: Infection with ulcer-causing bacteria
Ötzi the Iceman was infected with a virulent strain of H. pylori. A new study is the first to piece together an ancient genome of these bacteria.
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AstronomyTo search for an advanced civilization, take a U-turn to star clusters
Globular star clusters might be safe, stable homes for long-lived advanced civilizations.
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EarthGround shakes expose faraway earthquake hot spots
A major earthquake in Costa Rica revealed faraway areas where fluids have weakened rock and boosted the risk of a major earthquake, new research suggests.
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AstronomyNewfound gas cloud may be graveyard of first stars
A 12-billion-year-old gas cloud, rich in hydrogen and helium but nothing else, may house the remains of the universe’s first stars.
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LifeBody’s bacteria don’t outnumber human cells so much after all
New calculations show human cells about equal bacteria in the body.
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AstronomyRed giants map how the Milky Way grew
A new catalog of the ages of our galaxy’s stars confirms that the Milky Way grew from the inside out.
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ArchaeologyAncient stone tools raise tantalizing questions over who colonized Sulawesi
Hominids reached an island not far from hobbits’ home by around 200,000 years ago.
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PaleontologyPlesiosaurs swam like penguins
Computer simulations of plesiosaur swimming motion may resolve long-standing debate on how the marine reptile got around.
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LifeSearch is on for missing pieces in puzzle of male genital diversity
The debate over extreme diversity of male genitalia needs to rethink the female side. And the landscape.
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PhysicsEarly quark estimates not entirely realized
Decades of research have shed a little light on quarks, the mysterious building blocks of atoms.
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Cosmology‘The Cosmic Web’ weaves tale of universe’s architecture
A new book chronicles the quest over the last century to understand how the universe is pieced together and how it came to be this way.
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AnimalsChristmas tree worms have eyes that breathe, gills that see
Christmas tree worms and other fan worms have improvised some of the oddest eyes.
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AnimalsSmall lizard packs powerful tongue
A tiny chameleon from South Africa sets an acceleration and power record for amniotes.
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PhysicsMore details on Stephen Hawking’s solution to black hole problem
Stephen Hawking and colleagues have finally provided more information about how black holes might preserve information.
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ArchaeologyRoman toilets didn’t flush parasites
Roman sanitation measures did little to dent parasite numbers, a study finds.
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GeneticsDrug candidate fails to improve symptoms of fragile X syndrome
A drug designed to treat fragile X syndrome has proven ineffective in clinical trials.
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ChemistryExperiment offers glimpse at how to make hydrogen metallic
A new phase of hydrogen could represent the stepping stone for transforming element 1 into a metal.