Vol. 194 No. 6
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More Stories from the September 29, 2018 issue

  1. Climate

    Chances of an Atlantic hurricane season busier than 2005’s are slim — for now

    The 28 named tropical storms that swirled through the Atlantic Ocean in 2005 is about as many as the region can produce in a year.

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  2. Neuroscience

    How antibodies attack the brain and muddle memory

    Human antibodies that target key brain proteins cause memory trouble when delivered into mice’s brains.

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  3. Chemistry

    Lithium-oxygen batteries are getting an energy boost

    A new version of the lithium-oxygen battery could pack more energy and last longer than its predecessors.

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  4. Life

    We may now know when hand, foot and mouth disease outbreaks will occur

    Birthrates and immunity rates predict the spread of viruses that cause hand, foot and mouth disease.

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  5. Animals

    There’s method in a firefly’s flashes

    Fireflies use their flashing lights for mating and maybe even to ward away predators.

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  6. Astronomy

    Strange gamma rays from the sun may help decipher its magnetic fields

    The sun spits out more and weirder gamma rays than anyone expected, which could give a new view of the sun’s magnetic fields.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    As algae blooms increase, scientists seek better ways to predict these toxic tides

    Scientists around the United States are developing programs that can predict harmful algal blooms in advance.

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  8. Animals

    Naked mole-rats eat the poop of their queen for parenting cues

    Hormones in the naked mole-rat queen’s poop turn subordinate nest-mates into surrogate parents.

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  9. Quantum Physics

    Quantum computer simulates two types of bizarre materials

    In calculations involving about 2,000 quantum bits, a D-Wave machine reproduced the behavior of exotic substances.

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  10. Health & Medicine

    The United States and Brazil top the list of nations with the most gun deaths

    Globally, the estimated number of gun deaths due to homicides, suicides and unintentional injuries went up from 1990 to 2016.

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  11. Physics

    The strength of gravity has been measured to new precision

    Researchers have measured Newton’s gravitational constant, known as Big G, with the greatest precision yet.

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  12. Particle Physics

    Electrons surf protons’ waves in a new kind of particle accelerator

    For the first time, scientists accelerated electrons using plasma waves from proton beams.

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  13. Life

    How the poppy got its pain-relieving powers

    Analyzing the poppy’s genome reveals the evolutionary history of morphine.

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  14. Health & Medicine

    CRISPR gene editing relieves muscular dystrophy symptoms in dogs

    Scientists have used CRISPR’s molecular scissors in beagle puppies to repair a genetic mutation that causes muscular dystrophy.

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  15. Neuroscience

    Newfound skull tunnels may speed immune cells’ trek to brain injuries

    Minuscule channels connect the skull to the brain’s outer membrane, studies in mice and people show.

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  16. Astronomy

    New images reveal how an ancient monster galaxy fueled furious star formation

    Scientists were able to see the abundance of star-forming gas and dust in a giant galaxy from when the universe was less than 2 billion years old.

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  17. Climate

    As temperatures rise, so do insects’ appetites for corn, rice and wheat

    Hotter, hungrier pests likely to do 10 percent to 25 percent more damage to grains for each warmer degree.

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  18. Materials Science

    A new material harnesses light to deice surfaces

    A new sun-powered material could someday melt the ice off airplane wings, wind turbines and rooftops.

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  19. Health & Medicine

    Teens born from assisted pregnancies may have higher blood pressure

    Kids born from reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization are susceptible to high blood pressure as adolescents, a small study finds.

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  20. Genetics

    German skeletons hint that medieval warrior groups recruited from afar

    Graveyard finds may come from an ancient European warrior household with political pull.

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  21. Planetary Science

    Jupiter’s magnetic field is surprisingly weird

    New results from NASA’s Juno spacecraft reveal different magnetic behavior in the planet’s northern and southern hemispheres.

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  22. Health & Medicine

    50 years ago, a flu pandemic spurred vaccine research

    A half-century after the Hong Kong flu pandemic, scientists are getting closer to a universal vaccine.

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  23. Plants

    Smart plants can teach us a thing or two

    ‘The Revolutionary Genius of Plants’ challenges the brain-centered view of intelligence.

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  24. Animals

    This killifish can go from egg to sex in two weeks

    The fastest known maturing vertebrate in the lab is even faster in the wild.

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