Animals
‘Mama’s Last Hug’ showcases the emotional lives of animals
In ‘Mama’s Last Hug,’ Frans de Waal argues that emotions occur throughout the animal world.
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Cover Story
With its burning grip, shingles can do lasting damage
Varicella zoster virus, which causes chickenpox and shingles, may instigate several other problems.
Reviews & Previews
Science Visualized
Chemistry
Here’s how long the periodic table’s unstable elements last
Most elements on the periodic table have at least one stable form. But some don’t. Here’s how long those unstable members endure.
Notebook
Health & Medicine
50 years ago, people thought MSG caused ‘Chinese restaurant syndrome’
In the 1960s, people blamed monosodium glutamate in Chinese food for making them sick, but the claim hasn't stood up to time or science.
Features
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Extreme elements push the boundaries of the periodic table
The hunt for the next elements on the periodic table might turn up superheavy atoms that flaunt the rules of chemistry.
More Stories from the March 2, 2019 issue
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PaleontologyTiny eyes make a bizarre, ancient platypus-like reptile even weirder
An ancient oddball marine reptile had teeny-tiny eyes, suggesting it probably used senses other than sight to catch food.
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NeuroscienceRocking puts adults to sleep faster and makes slumber deeper
People sleep better when their beds are gently rocked, a small study finds.
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AnthropologyWhy modern javelin throwers hurled Neandertal spears at hay bales
A sporting event with replica weapons suggests that Neandertals’ spears may have been made for throwing, not just stabbing.
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EarthEarth’s core may have hardened just in time to save its magnetic field
Earth’s inner core began to solidify sometime after 565 million years ago — just in time to prevent the collapse of the planet’s magnetic field, a study finds.
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Artificial IntelligenceA new AI training program helps robots own their ignorance
AI systems struggle to know what they don’t know. Now scientists have created a way to help autonomous machines recognize their blind spots.
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AnthropologyNew dates narrow down when Denisovans and Neandertals crossed paths
Mysterious ancient hominids called Denisovans and their Neandertal cousins periodically occupied the same cave starting around 200,000 years ago.
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AnimalsGiant pandas may have only recently switched to eating mostly bamboo
Giant pandas may have switched to an exclusive bamboo diet some 5,000 years ago, not 2 million years ago as previously thought.
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Planetary ScienceTitan’s oddly thick atmosphere may come from cooked organic compounds
Saturn’s moon Titan might get some of its hazy atmosphere by baking organic molecules in a warm core.
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GeneticsThis bacteria-fighting protein also induces sleep
A bacteria-fighting protein also lulls fruit flies to sleep, suggesting links between sleep and the immune system.
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PhysicsLasers could send messages right to a listener’s ear
Communication in noisy environments or dangerous situations could one day rely on lasers.
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Artificial IntelligenceArtificial intelligence is learning not to be so literal
Artificial intelligence is learning how to take things not so literally.
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PhysicsLaser light can contain intricate, beautiful fractals
Fractals show up in cauliflower, seashells and now — lasers.
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PlantsShutdown aside, Joshua trees live an odd life
Growing only in the U.S. Southwest, wild Joshua trees evolved a rare, fussy pollination scheme.
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AnimalsHow black soldier fly larvae can demolish a pizza so fast
When gorging together, fly larvae create a living fountain that whooshes slowpokes up and away.
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Health & MedicinePills equipped with tiny needles can inject a body from the inside
High-tech pills equipped with medicinal needles could administer painless shots inside the body.
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PhysicsThe quest for quasicrystals is a physics adventure tale
In ‘The Second Kind of Impossible,’ physicist Paul Steinhardt recounts his journey to find quasicrystals in nature.
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Health & MedicineWhy some children may get strep throat more often than others
Kids with recurrent strep throat appear to have a defective immune response to the bacteria that cause the infections, a study finds.