Astronomy
‘Einstein’s Shadow’ explores what it takes to snap a black hole’s picture
The new book offers a behind-the-scenes look at the Event Horizon Telescope’s attempt to image a black hole.
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Cover Story
The SN 10: These scientists defy limits to tackle big problems
With a drive to understand how things work, these young researchers are making a mark in sustainable energy, medicine, astronomy and technology.
Reviews & Previews
Science Visualized
Planetary Science
The ghosts of nearly two dozen icy volcanoes haunt dwarf planet Ceres
The slumped remains of 21 ice volcanoes suggest that the dwarf planet Ceres has been volcanically active for billions of years.
Notebook
Genetics
A recount of human genes ups the number to at least 46,831
A new estimate of the number of human genes adds in some RNA-producing genes.
More Stories from the October 13, 2018 issue
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GeneticsIbrahim Cissé unlocks cells’ secrets using physics
Biophysicist Ibrahim Cissé finds clues in raindrops and morning dew about how genes are activated.
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EarthChristopher Hamilton explores the architecture of other worlds
Planetary scientist Christopher Hamilton uses Earth’s volcanic structures are a blueprint for how lava shapes other worlds.
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AstronomyPaula Jofré makes stellar connections
Astrophysicist Paula Jofré is a galactic archaeologist, mapping out generations of stars.
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Health & MedicineLisa Manning describes the physics of how cells move
Physicist Lisa Manning probes how physical forces influence cell behavior in asthma and other conditions.
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ChemistryJoaquín Rodríguez-López designs batteries for a sustainable energy future
Electrochemist Joaquín Rodríguez-López is finding better ways to store wind and solar power.
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Artificial IntelligenceAnshumali Shrivastava uses AI to wrangle torrents of data
Computer scientist Anshumali Shrivastava is designing programs that can handle torrents of information quickly and efficiently.
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Quantum PhysicsDouglas Stanford probes the chaos inside black holes
Theoretical physicist Douglas Stanford is linking some of the most massive objects known to the quantum realm.
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AnimalsJenny Tung wants to know how social stresses mess with genes
Evolutionary anthropologist Jenny Tung is untangling the many health effects of life as a social animal.
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AstronomyJocelyn Bell Burnell wins big physics prize for 1967 pulsar discovery
Astrophysicist Jocelyn Bell Burnell speaks about winning the Breakthrough Prize, impostor syndrome and giving back
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PsychologyShahzeen Attari explores the psychology of saving the planet
Merging psychology with engineering, Shahzeen Attari probes how people think about conservation, energy use and climate change.
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PsychologyHuge ‘word gap’ holding back low-income children may not exist after all
The claim that poor children hear fewer words than kids from higher-income families faces a challenge.
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Planetary ScienceSaturn has two hexagons, not one, swirling around its north pole
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft spied a vortex growing high over Saturn’s north pole, whose hexagonal shape mirrors a famous underlying cyclone.
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PhysicsA new hydrogen-rich compound may be a record-breaking superconductor
The record for the highest-temperature superconductor may be toast.
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Plants50 years ago, a 550-year-old seed sprouted
Old seeds can sprout new plants even after centuries of dormancy.
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LifeEmily Balskus uses chemical logic to study the microbiome
Using chemistry to peer at the microbial world, Emily Balskus is revealing how microbes influence human health.
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PhysicsSound waves can make bubbles in levitated drops of liquid
A new technique reveals how to make bubbles from droplets suspended in the air.
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Materials ScienceHere’s how graphene could make future electronics superfast
Graphene-based electronics that operate at terahertz frequencies would be much speedier successors to today’s silicon-based devices.
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ArchaeologyThis South African cave stone may bear the world’s oldest drawing
The Stone Age line design could have held special meaning for its makers, a new study finds.
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EarthSea level rise doesn’t necessarily spell doom for coastal wetlands
Wetlands can survive and even thrive despite rising sea levels — if humans give them room to grow.
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Genetics
A recount of human genes ups the number to at least 46,831
A new estimate of the number of human genes adds in some RNA-producing genes.
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Health & MedicineKidney stones grow and dissolve much like geological crystals
Kidney stones are dynamic entities that grow and dissolve, a new study finds, which contradicts the prevailing medical assumption.
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Health & MedicineDaily low-dose aspirin is not a panacea for the elderly
Healthy elderly adults don’t benefit from a daily dose of aspirin, according to results from a large-scale clinical trial.
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LifeHumans have skeletal stem cells that help bones and cartilage grow
Human skeletal stem cells have been found for the first time.
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PaleontologyCholesterol traces suggest these mysterious fossils were animals, not fungi
Traces of cholesterol still clinging to a group of enigmatic Ediacaran fossils suggests the weird critters were animals, not fungi or lichen.
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AstronomyAstronomers may have spotted the birth of a neutron star
Scientists say they’ve witnessed a type of neutron star called a pulsar being born in the wake of a massive supernova for the first time.