Plants
Flowers’ roles considered in ecosystems and economics
In ‘The Reason for Flowers’, a pollination ecologist chronicles the science and culture of blossoms from the dawn of humanity.
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Cover Story
How the brain perceives time
To perceive time, the brain relies on internal clocks that precisely orchestrate movement, sensing, memories and learning.
Reviews & Previews
Science Visualized
Genetics
Genetic switch wipes out tumors in mice
By switching on a single gene, researchers turned cancer cells in mice back into normal intestinal tissue.
Notebook
Astronomy
Brightest galaxy discovered
The brightest known galaxy is about 350 trillion times as bright as the sun, and a supermassive black hole is to blame.
Features
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A brief history of timekeeping
For millennia, humans have harnessed the power of clocks to schedule prayers, guide ocean voyages and, lately, to chart the universe.
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The origin of biological clocks
Most of Earth’s creatures keep time with the planet’s day/night cycle. Scientists are still debating how and why the circadian clocks that govern biological timekeeping evolved.
More Stories from the July 25, 2015 issue
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AstronomyDistant galaxy may contain primeval stars
A stockpile of the first generation of stars might be lighting up gas in a galaxy that existed roughly 800 million years after the Big Bang.
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EarthMost of Earth’s impact craters await discovery
Hundreds of undiscovered impact craters probably dot Earth’s surface, new research estimates.
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Health & MedicineCurtailing calories on a schedule yields health benefits
Eating an extreme low-calorie diet that mimics fasting just a few consecutive days a month may yield a bounty of health benefits, research suggests.
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AnthropologyKennewick Man’s DNA links him to present-day Native Americans
Genetic analysis of Kennewick Man suggests that the ancient Pacific Northwest man was most closely related to modern Native Americans, not Polynesians.
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EarthFast-spreading crack threatens giant Antarctic ice shelf
A fast-spreading crack threatens Larsen C, one of Antarctica’s biggest ice shelves, satellite data suggest.
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AstronomyDark galaxies grow in abundance
Nearly 1,000 shadowy galaxies lurk in a nearby cluster, some of which are as massive as the Milky Way and yet have only 0.1 percent the number of stars.
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LifeHow vitamin B12 makes pimples pop up
Vitamin B12 causes acne by altering metabolism of skin bacteria.
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GeneticsIvory DNA pinpoints poaching hot spots
Genetic analysis of ivory DNA reveals major poaching hot spots in Africa.
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Health & MedicineSwitching off nerve cells eases asthma attacks
A drug that numbs nerve cells in mice’s airways offers a new way to ease the effects of an asthma attack.
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PsychologyMusic to just about everyone’s ears
Common elements of music worldwide point to its central role in group cohesion.
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AnimalsHeat turns wild genetic male reptiles into functional females
Genetic male bearded dragons changed to females by overheating in the wild can still breed successfully.
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NeuroscienceWrinkled brain mimics crumpled paper
Brains crumple up just like wads of paper, a new study suggests.
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Science & SocietyHow English became science’s lingua franca
A new book explores the roles of war, politics and economics in the rise of English in scientific communication.
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Planetary ScienceEvidence mounts for active volcanoes on Venus
The Venus Express orbiter detected possible signs of active volcanism on the planet next door.
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AnimalsUnpredictable egg scramble throws off parasitic parents
Eggs of some species of warbler and weaver birds appear to have individual signatures, which can help distinguish them from the eggs of parasitic cuckoos.
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TechFlame-finding pistols set off decades of blazing technology
Researchers unveiled a gun-shaped flame detector in 1965
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LifeA downy killer wages chemical warfare
The common fungus Beauveria bassiana makes white downy corpses of its victims.
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NeuroscienceHomunculus reimagined
A new study pinpoints the part of the brain that controls the neck muscles, tweaking the motor homunculus.
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PhysicsThe arrow of time
Gravity may explain how time always runs forward, even though the laws of physics should permit it to run backward.
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NeuroscienceSpecial Report: Dimensions of Time
Science News writers report on the latest scientific investigations into time’s place in the physical, biological and mental worlds.