Reviews & Previews
Science Visualized
Animals
‘Whalecopter’ drone swoops in for a shot and a shower
Whale biologists are monitoring the health of whales using drones that snap photos and then swoop in to sample spray.
Notebook
Anthropology
More than 9,000-year-old decapitated head discovered in Brazil
Human decapitation goes back more than 9,000 years in the Americas.
Features
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Slow, cold reptiles may breathe like energetic birds
Finding birdlike air patterns in lungs of crocodilians and in more distantly related lizards raises the possibility that one-way airflow evolved far earlier than birds themselves did.
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Nanoparticles in foods raise safety questions
As scientists cook up ways to improve palatability and even make foods healthier, some are considering the potential health risks of tiny additives.
More Stories from the October 31, 2015 issue
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PhysicsRaw chicken, ingenuity make a time-reversal mirror
A new phase-conjugation mirror sends light waves back where they came from, allowing physicists to reconstruct images even if the original light was severely scrambled.
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LifeFor people, mealtime is all the time
People eat for most of their waking hours, which may affect sleep and weight.
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PaleontologyNew dinosaur identified in Alaska
New species of duck-billed dinosaur discovered in the Alaskan permafrost.
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Health & MedicineWhat makes cells stop dividing and growing
Scientists have found that the protein GATA4 helps control cellular senescence, and may be a target for treating aging-related diseases.
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ChemistryElusive acid finally created
Cyanoform, a chemical sought for more than a century and written into textbooks, is one of the strongest organic acids.
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Math83-year-old math problem solved
An 83-year-old math problem concerning sequences of 1s and –1s has been solved.
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Planetary ScienceMysterious circles appear, grow on comet
The Rosetta spacecraft caught five circular depressions quickly spreading across a region of comet 67P.
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Planetary Science67P reveals recipe for a comet
Rosetta’s comet 67P probably started out as two smaller comets.
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AnimalsMath describes sheep herd fluctuations
Scientists have developed equations to describe the motion of a herd of sheep.
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AnimalsLights at night trick wild wallabies into breeding late
Artificial lighting is driving wild tammar wallabies to breed out of sync with peak season for food
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AnthropologyBronze Age mummies identified in Britain
Bone analysis finds widespread mummy making in ancient England and Scotland.
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EarthGiant asteroid may have triggered deadly volcano eruptions
Increased volcanic eruptions coincided much more closely with an asteroid impact and the extinction of the dinosaurs than previously believed, a new study suggests.
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AnimalsHow to drink like a bat
Some bats stick out their tongues and throbs carry nectar to their mouths.
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AnthropologyAncient hominid ears were tuned to high frequencies
Two ancient hominid species may have heard high-frequency sounds especially well.
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Planetary ScienceSalt streaks point to present-day water flows on Mars
Salt deposits on Mars hint at contemporary seasonal water flows on the Red Planet.
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Health & MedicineSperm protein may offer target for male contraceptive
With the identification of a new sperm protein that helps sperm penetrate eggs, researchers may be closer to developing birth control pills for men.
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NeuroscienceAdolescent brains open to change
Adolescent brains are still changing, a malleability that renders them particularly sensitive to the outside world.
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PlantsEarly cyanobacteria fossils dug up in 1965
In 1965, early photosynthetic plant fossils were discovered. The date of earliest oxygen-producing life forms has since been pushed much earlier.
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AnimalsMarine biologist chronicles a lifelong love of fishing
In A Naturalist Goes Fishing, a marine biologist takes readers on a round-the-world fishing expedition
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Health & MedicineHollywood-made science documentary series comes to TV
Breakthrough series gives a closer look at scientists at work.
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ChemistryZippy videos teach chemistry behind everyday life
The American Chemical Society breaks down complex reactions of everyday life in zippy online video clips.
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Science & SocietyNobels note neutrinos, DNA, drugs
The Nobel Prizes in physics, chemistry and physiology or medicine ran the gamut this year, honoring both fundamental science discoveries and research with real-world impacts.