Vol. 191 No. 1
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Cover of January 21, 2017 issue

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More Stories from the January 21, 2017 issue

  1. Quantum Physics

    Cosmic test confirms quantum weirdness

    Physicists used starlight to perform a cosmic Bell test.

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  2. Life

    Cell distress chemicals help embryos quickly heal

    The chemicals trigger drawstring-like structures that help close wounds.

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  3. Tech

    Zippy new jumping bot catches air again and again

    Leaping robot can bounce from floor to wall, parkour-style, and, like a bush baby, uses a “super-crouch” to get extra oomph out of jumps.

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  4. Science & Society

    Virtual reality raises real risk of motion sickness

    New research confirms anecdotal reports that virtual reality headsets can cause motion sickness, and may affect women more than men.

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  5. Neuroscience

    Brain waves show promise against Alzheimer’s protein in mice

    Flickers of light induce brain waves that wash amyloid-beta out of the brain, mouse study suggests.

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  6. Life

    Having an extra chromosome has a surprising effect on cancer

    Extra chromosome copies may protect against, not cause, cancer.

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  7. Earth

    Third kind of quasicrystal found in Russian meteorite

    A new quasicrystal found inside a Russian meteorite is the first ever found in nature before being synthesized in the lab.

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  8. Life

    Cells avoiding suicide may play role in spread of cancer

    A newly discovered process can pull cells back from the brink of death.

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  9. Astronomy

    Gaggle of stars get official names

    The names of 227 stars have been formally recognized by the International Astronomical Union.

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  10. Climate

    Glacier melting’s link to climate change confirmed

    The decades-long melting of glaciers is categorical evidence of climate change, a new study affirms.

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  11. Earth

    Fossil microbes show how some life bounced back after dino-killing impact

    Pioneering microbes colonized the waters above the Chicxulub crater within hundreds of years following the impact, new research shows.

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  12. Earth

    Earth’s mantle is cooling faster than expected

    The thinning of newly formed oceanic crust suggests that Earth’s mantle is cooling much faster than previously thought.

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  13. Health & Medicine

    Birth defects occur in 1 in 10 pregnancies with first trimester Zika infection

    About 6 percent of U.S. women infected with Zika virus have infants or fetuses with birth defects, according to preliminary CDC results. For women infected in the first trimester, the number is even higher: nearly 11 percent.

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  14. Planetary Science

    Dawn spacecraft maps water beneath the surface of Ceres

    Water ice sits just beneath the surface and within some permanently shadowed craters of the dwarf planet Ceres.

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  15. Genetics

    Proteins that reprogram cells can turn back mice’s aging clock

    Proteins that reprogram adult cells to an embryonic-like state can rejuvenate prematurely aging mice.

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  16. Tech

    Cells snack on nanowires

    Human cells eat silicon nanowires in a process called phagocytosis. Nanowire-infused cells could be a step towards biological electronic devices.

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  17. Anthropology

    New footprint finds suggest range of body sizes for Lucy’s species

    Tracks discovered in Tanzania appear to have belonged to the tallest known Australopithecus afarensis individual, but stature estimates can be tricky.

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  18. Physics

    Antimatter hydrogen passes symmetry test

    Antihydrogen atoms behave similarly to normal hydrogen atoms.

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  19. Earth

    Data show no sign of methane boost from thawing permafrost

    Rapid Arctic warming has increased emissions of carbon dioxide, but not methane, from northern Alaska tundra.

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  20. Math

    Hidden Figures highlights three black women who were vital to the U.S. space program

    "Hidden Figures" tells the untold story of the "human computers" who were essential to the launch of the U.S. space program.

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  21. Archaeology

    Ancient Egyptian pot burials were not just for the poor

    In ancient Egypt, using pots for burial containers was a symbolic choice, not a last resort, archaeologists say.

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  22. Astronomy

    Saturn’s 10th moon was the first satellite discovered in the modern space age

    Fifty years ago, astronomers knew of 10 moons orbiting Saturn. Since then they’ve catalogued a diverse set of 62 satellites, with the help of the Cassini spacecraft.

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  23. Animals

    ‘Furry Logic’ showcases how animals exploit physics

    "Furry Logic" explores how animals rely on the laws of physics in pursuit of food, sex and survival.

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  24. Planetary Science

    First signs of boron on Mars hint at past groundwater, habitability

    The Curiosity rover has found the first signs of boron on Mars, which could hint at past habitable groundwater.

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  25. Chemistry

    Names for four new elements get seal of approval

    The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry has approved the proposed names for the four elements added to the periodic table in December 2015.

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  26. Health & Medicine

    Microcephaly cases surge in Colombia following rise in Zika infections

    More than 400 cases of microcephaly have been reported in Colombia this year, months after Zika virus infections peaked in the country.

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  27. Life

    Zika induces brain cell die-off

    Cell biologists are learning more about how the Zika virus disrupts brain cells to cause microcephaly.

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  28. Life

    Disabling enzyme could block Zika

    Disrupting a key Zika enzyme shows preliminary promise.

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