Vol. 194 No. 8

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Features

More Stories from the October 27, 2018 issue

  1. tea cup
    Health & Medicine

    50 years ago, the safety of artificial sweeteners was fiercely debated

    Scientists are still learning more about the health effects of chemical sweeteners

    By
  2. neutron star
    Physics

    Nuclear pasta in neutron stars may be the strongest material in the universe

    Simulations suggest that the theoretical substance known as nuclear pasta is 10 billion times as strong as steel.

    By
  3. bees on a tree branch
    Life

    Here’s how clumps of honeybees may survive blowing in the wind

    Honeybees clumped on trees may adjust their positions to keep the cluster together when it’s jostled by wind, a new study suggests.

    By
  4. tau tangles in a nerve cell illustration
    Neuroscience

    Over-the-hill cells may cause trouble in the aging brain

    Killing dormant cells in the brains of mice staved off memory trouble.

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  5. African elephants
    Life

    DNA from seized elephant ivory unmasks 3 big trafficking cartels in Africa

    Scientists can sleuth out wildlife crime and aid law enforcement by tracing elephant DNA from ivory seizures back to the source.

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  6. Anopheles gambiae mosquito
    Genetics

    In lab tests, this gene drive wiped out a population of mosquitoes

    For the first time, a gene drive caused a population crash of mosquitoes in a small-scale test.

    By
  7. spinal stimulator
    Neuroscience

    A paralyzed man makes great strides with spinal stimulation and rehab

    Researchers find success at restoring movement to paralyzed legs, giving hope to people with paraplegia.

    By
  8. Tosanoides aphrodite
    Animals

    This new fish species displays a splash of highlighter hues

    Researchers stumbled upon a new species of coral reef fish with spectacular coloration and a unique habitat.

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  9. kid getting BCG vaccine in Malaysia
    Health & Medicine

    A new vaccine raises hopes of someday curbing the tuberculosis epidemic

    A new vaccine for those infected, but not sick, with tuberculosis reduced new active cases by 54 percent, compared with those given a placebo.

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  10. fiberglass pipes made by robots
    Tech

    Fiberglass-spinning robots could be construction workers of the future

    A team of fiberglass-spinning robots could create tubing to help build bridges, buildings or other structures.

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  11. Manta birostris
    Animals

    Manta rays have an unusual mouth filter that resists clogging

    Manta rays filter feed differently than other ocean creatures.

    By
  12. kid using tablet
    Neuroscience

    Survey raises worries about how screen time affects kids’ brains

    A large study of U.S. children ties lots of screen time to lower thinking skills, but the relationship between the two is still unclear.

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  13. Tikal ruins
    Archaeology

    Laser mapping shows the surprising complexity of the Maya civilization

    A large-scale lidar survey of Guatemalan forests reveals evidence of ancient, interconnected Maya cities.

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  14. Arecibo radio telescope
    Astronomy

    We may not have found aliens yet because we’ve barely begun looking

    A new calculation says SETI searches have combed the equivalent of a hot tub out of Earth’s oceans looking for extraterrestrial intelligence in space.

    By
  15. ANITA experiment
    Particle Physics

    Hints of weird particles from space may defy physicists’ standard model

    Signals from the ANITA experiment don’t square with the properties of elementary particles cataloged in the standard model.

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  16. Ground cherries
    Plants

    Gene editing can speed up plant domestication

    CRISPR/Cas9 replays domestication to make better ground cherries and tomatoes.

    By
  17. James Allison and Tasuku Honjo
    Health & Medicine

    Discovery of how to prod a patient’s immune system to fight cancer wins a Nobel

    Two scientists share the 2018 medicine Nobel for identifying proteins that act as brakes on tumor-fighting T cells.

    By
  18. Ashkin, Mourou and Strickland
    Physics

    Dazzling laser feats earn these physicists a Nobel

    The 2018 Nobel Prize in physics went to scientists — including the third-ever female winner — who made optical tweezers and boosted the strength of laser pulses.

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  19. giraffe
    Animals

    Giraffes inherit their spots from their mothers

    Africa’s tallest creatures get their characteristic patterns of spots from their moms, a new study finds.

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  20. Neptomoon
    Astronomy

    Hubble may have spotted the first known exomoon

    A single sighting with the Hubble Space Telescope seems to confirm that there’s a Neptune-sized moon orbiting exoplanet Kepler 1625b.

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  21. chem nobel laureates 2018
    Chemistry

    Speeding up evolution to create useful proteins wins the chemistry Nobel

    The three winners, which include the fifth woman to win the chemistry prize, pioneered techniques used to fashion customized proteins for new biofuels and drugs.

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  22. frequency comb made of discrete colors of light
    Physics

    A new ultrafast laser emits pulses of light 30 billion times a second

    A new technique allows lasers to pulsate at a higher rate than ever before.

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  23. island nation of Maldives
    Climate

    Limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees versus 2 has big benefits, the IPCC says

    A new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change compares the impact of warming targets on extreme weather, sea level rise and habitat loss.

    By
  24. Nordhaus and Romer
    Science & Society

    The economics of climate change and tech innovation win U.S. pair a Nobel

    Climate change and tech innovations inspired the new Nobel Memorial Prize winners in Economic Sciences.

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