Plants
‘Lab Girl’ invites readers into hidden world of plants
In Lab Girl, geobiologist Hope Jahren reveals secret lives of plants — and scientists.
Reviews & Previews
Science Visualized
Earth
A third of the population can’t see the Milky Way at night
Light pollution conceals the Milky Way’s star-spangled core from more than a third of Earth’s population, a global atlas of artificial sky luminance reveals.
Notebook
Planetary Science
Ancient meteorite granules still mystify scientists
Shock waves might have formed the oldest solid fragments in the solar system, though interplanetary lightning isn’t entirely off the table.
Features
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New studies explore why ordinary people turn terrorist
New studies are examining the "will to fight" in ISIS soldiers and their opponents.
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Vaccines could counter addictive opioids
Scientists turn to vaccines to curb the growing opioid epidemic.
More Stories from the July 9, 2016 issue
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NeuroscienceMorphine may make pain last longer
Instead of busting pain, morphine lengthened the duration of pain in rats with a nerve injury.
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ArchaeologyEarliest evidence of fire making in Europe found
Clues to Stone Age fire making surface in a Spanish cave.
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Planetary ScienceJupiter’s stormy weather no tempest in teapot
New radio observations reveal how ammonia moves about beneath Jupiter’s clouds and provide a sneak peek at what NASA’s Juno mission will learn later this year.
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GeneticsAncient DNA tells of two origins for dogs
Genetic analysis of an ancient Irish mutt reveals complicated history of dog domestication.
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EnvironmentBikini Atoll radiation levels remain alarmingly high
Lingering radiation levels from nuclear bomb tests on Bikini Atoll are far higher than previously estimated.
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LifeBy leaking light, squid hides in plain sight
Glass squid camouflage their eyes with wonderfully inefficient bioluminescence.
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AnthropologyHobbit history gets new preface
Jaw, tooth fossils put new spin on evolution of Homo floresiensis.
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LifeObesity’s weight gain message starts in gut
Acetate made by gut microbes stimulates weight gain, research in rodents suggests.
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NeuroscienceAbnormal sense of touch may play role in autism
Autism-related genes are important for touch perception, a sense that may help the brain develop normally, a study of mice suggests.
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EcosystemsOcean plankton held hostage by pirate viruses
The most abundant photosynthesizers on Earth stop storing carbon when they catch a virus.
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ClimateVolcanic rocks help turn carbon emissions to stone — and fast
A pilot program in Iceland that injected carbon dioxide into basaltic lava rocks turned more than 95 percent of the greenhouse gas into stone within two years.
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AstronomyLimestone world gobbled by planet-eating white dwarf
Debris from a shredded planet points to a world that was once covered in calcium carbonate.
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PhysicsSecond gravitational wave signal detected
LIGO has spotted a second set of ripples in the fabric of spacetime.
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AstronomyMolecular handedness found in space
Propylene oxide in an interstellar cloud sets up a testing ground for understanding why life chooses one type of mirror-image molecule over another.
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Health & MedicineZika infection late in pregnancy may be not so risky
An early report out of Colombia finds no microcephaly in babies born to a group of pregnant women infected with Zika virus during the third trimester.
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AstronomyBulging stars mess with planet’s seasons
On planets orbiting rapidly rotating stars, the seasons can get a little strange.
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PhysicsSounds from gunshots may help solve crimes
Sound wave analysis may help forensic scientists figure out what types of guns were fired at a crime scene.
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ArchaeologyAncient Europeans may have been first wine makers
A new chemical analysis uncovers the earliest known wine making in Europe.
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AnimalsTwo newly identified dinosaurs donned weird horns
Two newly discovered relatives of Triceratops had unusual head adornments — even for horned dinosaurs.
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Materials ScienceShark jelly is strong proton conductor
A jelly found in sharks and skates, which helps them sense electric fields, is a strong proton conductor.
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AstronomySpace-based probe passes tests for gravitational wave detection
The LISA Pathfinder mission has demonstrated that future observatories in space could detect gravitational waves.
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AnimalsCity living shortens great tits’ telomeres
Great tits raised in urban nests have shorter protective caps on their chromosomes than those raised in rural nests.
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ChemistryFour newest elements on periodic table get names
Four elements officially recognized in December, highlighted in yellow, now have names that honor Japan, Moscow, Tennessee and physicist Yuri Oganessian.