Humans

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Humans

    Son of Furby

    How Star Wars' robots catalyzed an MIT program to build companionable robots.

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  2. Health & Medicine

    High doses

    Emergency room patients are exposed to high doses of radiation from CT scans and other nuclear medicine.

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  3. Life

    Tracing human roots

    Using a new method of data analysis, researchers have found that the Americas were peopled in two different migrations.

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  4. Climate

    Already feeling the heat

    Long-delayed U.S. government summary of climate change science sees effects on energy, transportation, farming, and water.

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  5. Agriculture

    Vertical Agriculture

    Instead of farming in the country, one Columbia University scientist would do it in the city, spanning floor upon floor of buildings--from basements to the tops of high rise structures.

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  6. Archaeology

    Domain of the dead

    Researchers say that Stonehenge functioned as the largest cemetery of its time.

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  7. Archaeology

    Footprints in the ash

    Humans may have been walking around what is now central Mexico 40,000 years ago.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Reading minds … or at least brain scans

    By analyzing brain activity, computers can tell what word is on your mind.

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  9. Earth

    Political Science

    New York's mayor argues that science should not only inform action, but also prod it.

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  10. Health & Medicine

    Monkey think, robotic monkey arm do

    In a step toward someday making brain-controlled prosthetic arms for people, scientists have trained monkeys to control a robotic arm with their thoughts. Click on the image to read the story and see the video.

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  11. Humans

    Kavli prizes announced

    Perhaps Alfred Nobel has met his match. Or at least his coveted prize may have. Today, the NorwegianAcademy of Science and Letters announced its inaugural Kavli Prize laureates, named in honor of Fred Kavli. “The Kavli Prizes were created to recognize achievements in three exceptionally exciting fields, which we believe promise remarkable future discoveries and […]

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  12. Humans

    The Color of Science and Its Recorders

    A very impressive group of science luminaries – including 10 Nobel laureates — turned up to kick around ideas and observations at today’s inaugural World Science Summit. And then there was this morning’s master of ceremonies: Alan Alda, an actor who clearly loves science and scientists. The real disappointment for me was who didn’t show […]

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