Vol. 186 No. 10
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More Stories from the November 15, 2014 issue

  1. Adult gray snapper
    Animals

    Baby fish are noisier than expected

    Gray snapper larvae may be able to communicate in open water using tiny knocks and growls.

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  2. Neuroscience

    High blood sugar could worsen effects of spinal injury

    Studies in people and mice suggest reining in blood sugar can improve recovery from a spinal cord injury.

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  3. new map charts the depths of Earth’s oceans
    Oceans

    Satellites expose mysteries of the deep ocean

    New detailed map of Earth’s seafloor reveals never-before-seen formations.

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  4. atom-thick iron nanowire with possible Majorana particles
    Physics

    Signal of elusive Majorana particle emerges in a nanowire

    New evidence supports existence of exotic Majorana particle — a particle that is its own antiparticle.

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  5. jade bar
    Anthropology

    Mysterious foreigner may have ruled ancient Maya kingdom

    Bone chemistry suggests one of the early rulers of the Maya kingdom Copan and his retainers had foreign credentials.

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  6. Chemistry

    Lasers wrest oxygen from carbon dioxide

    By zapping oxygen molecules off carbon dioxide, an experiment hints that Earth may have had breathable air long before the dawn of plants.

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  7. Camarasaurus, Diplodocus jaws
    Paleontology

    Plant-eating dinosaurs coexisted by munching different vegetation

    Differences in skulls allowed sauropods to coexist in an arid landscape by enabling the dinosaurs to tackle different plants.

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  8. Hand stencils from around 35,000 years ago
    Archaeology

    Indonesian stencils rival age of Europe’s early cave art

    Hand prints outlined in pigment were made in Southeast Asia at least 39,900 years ago, making the paintings about the same age as European cave art.

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  9. sidewinder rattlesnake
    Animals

    Rattlesnakes tutor robot on dune climbing

    Snakes sidewinding up sand inspire design improvements for robots navigating treacherous slopes.

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  10. Fluorescent yeast cells
    Genetics

    Yeast smell underpins partnership with fruit flies

    Yeast make fruity aromas that draw flies, which disperse the fungi. Researchers reveal the gene that underpins the mutually beneficial relationship.

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  11. Health & Medicine

    Impotence drug boosts insulin in some with diabetes

    A drug called yohimbine lets some people with diabetes secrete more insulin by stopping pancreas cells from binding adrenaline molecules.

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  12. galaxy in UV light
    Astronomy

    Nearby galaxy might explain what tore apart universe’s hydrogen

    A local galaxy is leaking enough ultraviolet light to ionize surrounding hydrogen, which could explain how the earliest galaxies transformed the universe.

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  13. The pattern in this laser image
    Quantum Physics

    Hawking radiation spotted within sonic black hole

    Lab-created sonic black hole emits energy as famed physicist Stephen Hawking predicted, though the experiment may not be definitive.

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  14. Health & Medicine

    Drug appears safe in children with C. difficile infections

    Early test suggests adult med may work in kids with diarrheal disease.

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  15. Health & Medicine

    Pneumococcal vaccine thwarts resistant infections in children

    Since a new vaccine was introduced in 2010, the number of antibiotic-resistant pneumococcal infections in kids has plunged.

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  16. raindrop
    Physics

    Falling raindrops break terminal velocity

    Unknown mechanism causes tiny raindrops to fall faster than terminal velocity.

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  17. illustration of extinct kangaroo walking
    Paleontology

    Extinct giant kangaroos tiptoed one leg at a time

    Stiff spines, flared hips and other fossil clues suggest extinct, refrigerator-sized kangaroos stepped one hind leg at a time instead of hopping.

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  18. Saturn’s smallest major moon, Mimas
    Planetary Science

    Surprises lurk inside a Saturn moon

    NASA’s Cassini spacecraft finds possible ocean or football-shaped core inside Mimas.

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  19. Physics

    Laser tractor beam tugs on beads

    A new experiment is the first to construct a tractor beam that can pull objects over long distances with light.

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  20. aqua-hamster test
    Tech

    Sheath helps ‘aqua-hamster’ survive underwater

    Scientists hoped a membrane invented in 1964 would let submarines pull air from seawater.

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  21. Harvard’s George Whitesides
    Chemistry

    Chemist tackles complex problems with simplicity

    Harvard chemist George Whitesides applies his unique problem-solving philosophy to creating new diagnostic devices for the developing world.

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  22. Broadcom MASTERS winners Holly Jackson and Sahar Khashayar
    Science & Society

    Sewing study stitches up Broadcom prize

    Holly Jackson of San Jose, Calif., zigzagged her way through three days of science, engineering and math challenges to win the top prize at the Broadcom MASTERS middle school science competition.

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  23. tornado
    Earth

    More multi-tornado days in the forecast for U.S.

    The number of days per year with tornadoes has gone down over the last few decades in the U.S., but the number of days that see 30 or more twisters is going up.

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  24. marshmallows
    Psychology

    Mastering the art of self-control

    Walter Mischel, the psychologist behind the marshmallow test, discusses his new book on self-control and willpower.

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