Vol. 199 No. 2
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More Stories from the January 30, 2021 issue

  1. sea fireflies
    Climate

    Ocean acidification may make some species glow brighter

    Ocean organisms use bioluminescence for hunting, defense and more. A new analysis shows that declines in water pH might change who glows and how much.

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  2. an illustration of a Brontosaurus
    Animals

    50 years ago, scientists made the case for a landlubbing Brontosaurus

    In 1971, a scientist argued for a landbound Brontosaurus instead of a swampy swimmer. Recent evidence comes from studies of its ancient environment.

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  3. Malawi rice paddies
    Animals

    Clearing land to feed a growing human population will threaten thousands of species

    Changing where, how and what food is grown could largely avoid biodiversity losses, scientists say.

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  4. African elephant with trunk in air
    Archaeology

    Ivory from a 16th century shipwreck reveals new details about African elephants

    Ivory from the sunken Portuguese trading ship Bom Jesus contains clues about elephant herds that once roamed Africa, and the people who hunted them.

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  5. Steamboat Geyser
    Earth

    Reawakened Yellowstone geyser isn’t a sign of imminent explosion

    The 2018 reactivation of Yellowstone’s Steamboat Geyser isn’t a portent of dangerous volcanic or hydrothermal eruptions, scientists say.

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  6. huntsman spider on a branch
    Animals

    These spiders may sew leaves into fake shelters to lure frogs to their doom

    Madagascar’s huntsman spiders use silk to turn two leaves into a cool hollow. Such microhabitats may appeal to the spiders’ prey, a study suggests.

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  7. Arctic ground squirrels
    Animals

    These Arctic squirrels recycle bits of their own bodies to survive winter

    Arctic squirrels not only slow their metabolism while hibernating, but also harvest crucial substances from their muscles.

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  8. illustration of spacecraft on Europa
    Space

    How future spacecraft might handle tricky landings on Venus or Europa

    Scientists are getting inventive with ways to touch down on these worlds, where landers will face obstacles not seen elsewhere in the solar system.

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  9. a nearly empty city street in New York City
    Climate

    What the pandemic can teach us about ways to reduce air pollution

    Data collected during COVID-19 shutdowns may help tease out the complicated chemistry that brews poor air quality.

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  10. man getting a COVID-19 vaccine
    Health & Medicine

    Severe allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccines are extremely rare, CDC says

    Out of the first 1.9 million doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine given in the United States, there were 21 reported cases of anaphylaxis, a CDC study finds.

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  11. twin girls
    Genetics

    Some identical twins don’t have identical DNA

    Mutations arising early in development may account for genetic differences between identical twins.

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  12. dog on a leash
    Anthropology

    Ice Age hunters’ leftovers may have fueled dog domestication

    Ancient people tamed wolves by feeding them surplus game, researchers suggest.

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  13. fluorine atoms bonded to hydrogen atom
    Chemistry

    This weird chemical bond acts like a mash-up of hydrogen and covalent bonds

    Chemistry students are taught that hydrogen bonds and covalent bonds are distinct, but a new study shows they exist on a continuum.

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