Vol. 187 No. 12
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More Stories from the June 13, 2015 issue

  1. Animals

    Whether froglets switch sexes distinguishes ‘sex races’

    Rana temporaria froglets start all female in one region of Europe; in another region, new froglets of the same species have gonads of either sex.

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  2. Neuroscience

    Brain on display

    In her online videos, Nancy Kanwisher goes where few other neuroscientists go.

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  3. Astronomy

    Erupting volcanoes may cause exoplanet’s temperature extremes

    Temperatures fluctuate wildly on a nearby exoplanet, and volcanoes might be the culprit.

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  4. Genetics

    Tameness is in the genes

    Taming affects common genes in multiple species.

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  5. Genetics

    Humans and Neandertals mated more recently than thought

    Neandertals and humans interbred in Europe until shortly before Neandertals went extinct.

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  6. Astronomy

    Andromeda reaches out to touch Milky Way

    The Andromeda galaxy is enveloped in a wispy halo of gas that extends halfway to the Milky Way.

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  7. Animals

    Nighttime light pollution sabotages sex pheromones of moths

    Artificial lighting at night can trick female moths into releasing skimpy, odd-smelling sex pheromones.

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  8. Physics

    Electron pairs can take the heat

    Electrons have been found pairing up for the first time in a solid that is not in a superconducting state.

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  9. Genetics

    MicroRNAs track radiation doses

    MicroRNAs in the blood may indicate radiation damage, a study of mice finds.

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  10. Neuroscience

    Fruit flies flee from shadows

    Studying flies’ responses to an ominous shadow may lead to a deeper understanding of humans’ emotions.

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  11. Animals

    Deepwater dweller is first known warm-hearted fish

    The opah, a deep-diving fish, can keep much of its body warmer than its surroundings, making it similar to warm-blooded birds and mammals.

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  12. Earth

    Asteroids boiled young Earth’s oceans, remnant rocks suggest

    Giant asteroid impacts may have boiled Earth’s oceans around 3.3 billion years ago, snuffing out near-surface life.

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  13. Materials Science

    Spiders spin stronger threads with nanotubes

    Spiders sprayed with carbon nanotubes spin supertough strands of silk.

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  14. Planetary Science

    Sea salt may stripe Europa’s surface

    Salt deposits on Jupiter’s moon Europa might be responsible for brown stripes on the icy satellite’s surface.

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  15. Health & Medicine

    Snagging blood clots upgrades stroke care

    A new device threaded up to the brain via catheter can unblock vessels in cerebral arteries, studies show.

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  16. Archaeology

    Earliest known stone tools unearthed in Kenya

    East African discoveries suggest stone-tool making started at least 3.3 million years ago.

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  17. Genetics

    Ancient DNA pushes back timing of the origin of dogs

    DNA extracted from the fossil of an ancient wolf indicates dogs and wolves diverged longer ago than previously thought.

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  18. Animals

    When swimming with manatees, mind the herd

    Manatees hang out in Florida’s Crystal River; tourists can choose a mindful visit or a harmful one

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  19. Humans

    How Homo sapiens became world’s dominant species

    'First Peoples' dispels old ideas about human evolution and tells an updated tale of how Homo sapiens came to dominate the world.

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  20. Plants

    Fifty years ago, ethylene research ripened

    In 1965, scientists realized ethylene was the molecule that ripens fruit.

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