60-Second Science
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Invasive Ladybug Thanks Its Parasite For Competitive...
Harlequin ladybirds carry a parasite that does not kill them--but does kill other ladybug species that attempt to eat the harlequin progeny. Sophie Bushwick reports.
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Isolated Reservoir Holds Ancient Water
Isotopic analysis of fluid seeping from an isolated Canadian underground reservoir indicates that the water has been sequestered for at least 1.5 billion years old. Sophie Bushwick reports.
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Speed Dating Study Yields Conversation Keys
A study analyzed nearly 1,000 speed dates and their aftermaths to find out what conversational cues work best for people to click. Amy Kraft reports.
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Riding Technique Affects Horse Force
Equestrians who use the bouncy "rising trot" actually keep their center of mass more steady when they stand, which reduces the force on the horse's back. Karen Hopkin reports
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Ice Cores Reveal Green Arctic
Analyses of sediment cores show that Arctic summers 3.6 million years ago were a good 8 degrees C warmer than they are today, and supported Douglas Fir and hemlock. Sophie Bushwick reports.
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Elephants Better Beat the Heat--or Else
With a relatively small surface area to body volume, elephant heat dissipation is limited to the point where extended exertion in the heat can be fatal. Sophie Bushwick reports
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Science Tackles Twitter Talents
Researchers offer tips to racking up Twitter followers, based on an analysis of over 500 active tweeters and their half million tweets during a 15-month stretch. Christopher Intagliata reports
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Video Game Play Sharpens Elderly Minds
Elderly people who played a video game that challenged their brain processing speed showed improvements in executive function compared with those who did crossword puzzles. Amy Kraft reports.
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Gap Grows Between Wanting And Working
Compared to kids who graduated high school the `70s, Millennial teens are more interested in material signs of success and less concerned with working to get them. Karen Hopkin reports.
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Voices Considered Attractive Send Body Cues
Volunteer listeners expressed preferences for voice qualities that ordinarily correlate with specific body dimensions. Sophie Bushwick reports.
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Smartphone App System Locates Snipers
A small network of smartphones can analyze rifle shot shockwaves, enabling users to locate the source of the shots. Christopher Intagliata reports
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Whales Teach Each Other Hunting Skill
Cultural transmission is behind the recent spread of a hunting technique called lobtail feeding among humpback whales off New England. Sophie Bushwick reports.
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Human Hearts Bleed for Abused Robots
People watching a robot being beaten felt similar emotions as when they watched a human apparently being abused. Sophie Bushwick reports
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Poker Players' Arms Give Away Their Hands
Volunteers who watched video of pro poker players could discern the quality of the cards in play by how the players moved their arms when adding chips to the pot. Steve Mirsky reports
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Grasshoppers Adjust Calls In Traffic Din
Compared to males that lived someplace quiet, roadside-dwelling grasshoppers selectively boosted the bass notes in their mating calls to be heard above traffic noise. Karen Hopkin reports.
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Bitter Taste May Battle Asthma
Bitter substances block calcium channels, which can relax the tissue that tightens up during asthma attacks. Sophie Bushwick reports
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Fly Cells Divide by the Clock
Circadian rhythms may influence the timing of cell division, which could inform the timing of some therapies. Christopher Intagliata reports
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New Music Tickles or Bores Brain Region
Listeners' reactions to new music were associated with activity in the nucleus accumbens, a section of the brain's pleasure center. Sophie Bushwick reports
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Ecotourism Can Be Animals' Pet Peeve
Stingrays that interact with humans at an interactive tourism area change their normal activity patterns and interact with each other more aggressively than animals not dealing with people. Amy Kraft reports.
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Twitter Reveals Language Geographic Distribution
Location-tagged tweets enabled researchers to calculate the dominant language of any given region, down to neighborhoods in New York City. Sophie Bushwick reports
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Bed Bugs Bollixed by Bean
The tiny protuberences on the leaves of the kidney bean plant ensnare the feet of bed bugs, trapping them in place. Christopher Intagliata reports
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Warming Planet Means Bumpier Flights
Climate models and turbulence algorithms forecast that, by mid-century, clear-air turbulence will be more violent and transatlantic flights will hit it twice as often. Christopher Intagliata reports
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Fat-Fed Fidos Foil Fiends First
Detection dogs fed diets high in fat were better at sniffing out explosives and contraband than dogs given their regular food. Amy Kraft reports.
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Biological Disciplines Meet To Break, Then Maybe Fix,...
At a conference April 9th to 11th, conservation biologists and synthetic biologists will try to find common ground. Steve Mirsky reports.
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The Price Is Right But Confusing
Uniform pricing accentuates products' differences, which makes it harder to choose among them. Karen Hopkin reports.
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Mysterious Desert 'Fairy Circles' Caused By Termites
The Namib Desert's strange circular patches of grass with bare centers are the result of termites establishing reservoirs. Sophie Bushwick reports.
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Physicists Model Mosh Moves
Metal-loving researchers analyzed the collective movement of individuals in mosh pits, which could help explain mass movements in other extreme situations. Sophie Bushwick reports
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Gum Chewing May Improve Concentration
Volunteers who chewed gum during an exercise focused and remembered number sequences better than non-gum chewers. Amy Kraft reports
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Internal Clocks Tell Roosters It's Crow Time
Circadian rhythms tell fowl to crow at dawn, even if the birds can't see the sun come up. Sophie Bushwick reports.
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Thinkers Talk About Nothing
The subject was nothing at the Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Steve Mirsky reports.
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Olive Oil Fills Better Than Other Fats
Trial subjects who ate olive oil versus other kinds of fats felt more full and had higher blood levels of serotonin. Christopher Intagliata reports.
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Noisy Ships Creep Out Crabs
The cacophony of ships at sea is stressing shore crabs and could be bothering other marine life. Amy Kraft reports.
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Caimin In, the Water's Fine
Fossil caiman skulls found in Panama raise questions about the distance between South and Central America at the beginning of the Miocene epoch. Sophie Bushwick reports
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Winter Cholesterol Rise May Boost Heart Risk
Cholesterol levels go up in winter even in sunny climes, perhaps due to less exercise and dietary changes. Christopher Intagliata reports
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Workplace Injuries May Rise Right After Daylight Saving...
The Monday after the change to Daylight Saving Time is marked by an increase in work-related injuries, probably due to lack of zzz's. Steve Mirsky reports.
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Birds Need Tune to Stay Current
Savanna sparrows that kept up with the changes in their species's calls over the years had higher rates of reproductive success than the birds who sang the same old song. Amy Kraft reports
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New Moms May Need New Shoes
A study of 49 women bears out a common observation: pregnancy can lengthen and widen a woman's feet. Christopher Intagliata reports.
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Cold-Comfortable Mice Point to New Analgesics
Genetically engineered mice that can't feel cold are a step toward drugs that dull pain without numbness. Karen Hopkin reports
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Sourdough Bacteria Pump Out Mold Killers
The sourdough bread bacteria Lactobacillus hammesii produces antifungal compounds as it digests bread flour. Christopher Intagliata reports
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Corn's Influence on Culture Bumped Farther Back
New data show that maize was a staple in Peru as early as 5,000 years ago and probably helped fuel the cultural leap during what's called the late Archaic period. Sophie Bushwick reports
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Nathan Myhrvold Shares Cooking-Science Tips
The former chief technology officer at Microsoft, co-founder of Intellectual Ventures and co-author of Modernist Cuisine talks simple tips for making cooking for scientific. Steve Mirsky reports
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Astronaut Talks About Being In Untethered Hot Spot
Michael Barratt, who spent 199 days on the ISS, told kids at the annual meeting of the AAAS how a space walker whose line snaps can still get back to the station. Steve Mirsky reports.
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Human Skin Depigmented More Than Once
Human skin became more pigmented in response to high UV, and less pigmented later--on independent occasions--in response to less. Steve Mirsky reports
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Warmer Waters Make Weaker Mussels
Mussels, ocean temperatures, climate change
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Third Molars Illustrate Differential Reproduction
Physical anthropologist Alan Mann talked about third molars as a case study in human evolution at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston.
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Earth-Like World May Be Just 13 Light-Years Away
Researchers estimate that 6 percent of red dwarf stars may be orbited by Earth-like planets, including a candidate 13 light-years off. Karen Hopkin reports
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Hanging with Smarties Ups GPA
High-school students whose friends get higher marks tend to raise their own grade point averages over time. Karen Hopkin reports
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Too Much Salt Gets Bitter And Sour Involved
Overly salted food activates the taste cells that sense sourness and bitterness, sending unpleasant signals to the brain. Sophie Bushwick reports.
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Bioexplorers Find Tongue's Taste Bud Factory
By looking for markers associated with other stem cells, scientists have identified the parental cells that give rise the cells that carry our receptors for taste. Karen Hopkin reports
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New Antidote Puts Muscle Into Cyanide Defense
Sulfanegen TEA is an intramuscular cyanide antidote, which could be employed in mass poisoning cases with more alacrity than existing IV antidotes. Christopher Intagliata reports.
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Ant Pupae Signal Status With Sound
Developing ants cannot yet waft pheromones, but have been discovered to be able to produce distinctive calls to claim their social status within the colony. Marissa Fessenden reports.
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Organic Gases Help Cloud Formation
Organic gases gases coat aerosolized particles in the atmosphere, enhancing their potential to form cloud droplets. Karen Hopkin reports.
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Virtual Superpower Experience Increases Helpful Attitude
Test subjects who could fly like Superman through a virtual reality simulator were more likely to help somebody after the flight. Sophie Bushwick reports
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Good Grammar Makes Bad Password
A grammatically correct textual password is easier for algorithms to crack than one that with bad grammar. Christopher Intagliata reports
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Killer Kitties Wreak Critter Havoc
Cats kill some up to 3.7 billion birds and 20.7 billion small mammals in the U.S. each year. Sophie Bushwick reports.
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Dog Evolution Included Getting the Starch in
A comparison of the dog and wolf genomes finds that dogs have genetic changes that allow them to digest starches, which might have eased their way to becoming man's best friend. Karen Hopkin reports
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Crustacean Brain May Process Pain
Crabs' ability to remember a shock and avoid it is consistent with the ability to feel and remember pain, rather than being a simple reflex. Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports
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Syringe Design Change Could Cut HIV Transmission
HIV transmission due to needle sharing could be greatly reduced by changing syringe design to ensure less trapped blood. Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports
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Researchers A-C-T on DNA Storage
Using a technique with multiple accuracy checks, researchers have stored large amounts of digital information on tiny volumes of synthetic DNA. Sophie Bushwick reports
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Dung Beetles Use Milky Way To Guide Movement (Heh)
On moonless nights, dung beetles apparently use the Milky Way's band of light as a navigation guide. Christopher Intagliata reports.
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Genome Donators Can Be Sleuthed Out
Using publicly available information, researchers found they could figure out the identities of 50 individuals who had loaned their genes to science. Karen Hopkin reports.
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Take 2 and Call Me after 19 Centuries
An analysis of pills recovered from a shipwreck off the coast of Italy reveals them to contain zinc compounds that were probably used as eye medication. Sophie Bushwick reports
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Standard Kilogram Needs Trimming
Contaminants have made the standard kilogram weigh slightly more than it originally did, but a careful cleaning method may slim it down. Sophie Bushwick reports
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App Turns Smart Phone into Smart Key
An app turns your smart phone into a smart key by using Near Field Communication, NFC, to send data wirelessly over short distances. Christopher Intagliata reports
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Fake Fecal Transplants For Gut RePOOPulation
A laboratory-made slurry of healthy bacteria could replace human fecal matter in stool transplants to treat bacterial infections. Gretchen Kuda Kroen reports.
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Wrinkled Fingers Are Not Slippery When Wet
Volunteers were more adept at handling wet objects when their fingertips had gotten waterlogged to the point of being wrinkled than when their fingers were dry. Karen Hopkin reports
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Milky Way May Contain 100 Billion Planets
Based on exoplanet observations made using the Kepler Space Telescope, astronomers estimate that our galaxy's ratio of stars to planets is at least one to one. Karen Hopkin reports
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Cup Color Tricks Taste Buds
The same hot chocolate served in an orange cup was rated more "chocolaty" than when it was served in cups of other colors. Christopher Intagliata reports
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Bigger Brains Come At A Cost
Guppies bred for larger brains also had smaller guts and produced fewer offspring. Sophie Bushwick reports.
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Bonobos Share with Strangers First
Bonobos will readily share food, but they'll offer it up to a strange bonobo before they give it to a member of their known group. Sophie Bushwick reports
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Drones Accelerate Archaeological Site Mapping
A drone aircraft can acquire data for a 3-D map of an archaeological site in minutes that would take humans years. Cynthia Graber reports.
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Forest Canopy Color Reveals CO2 Uptake
Tree leaf colors provide a good proxy for its photosynthetic productivity, indicating how much carbon dioxide the tree is sequestering. Karen Hopkin reports.
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Humidity Levels Explain U.S. Flu Winter Peak
In temperate regions, the influenza virus fares best when the weather is dry. Karen Hopkin reports.
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Telecommuters Work Longer Hours Than Office-Goers
Census stats show that people who work at home at least some of the time put in more hours each week than those who stay at the office. Karen Hopkin reports.
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British Frozen Dinners Beat TV Chefs' Recipes For...
Recipes in cookbooks written by British television chefs had more calories and less fiber than frozen meals manufactured by British supermarket chains. Sophie Bushwick reports.
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Slow And Steady Wins The Staircase Workout
People who climb stairs one at a time burn more calories per staircase than do those who bound two stairs at a time. Rose Eveleth reports.
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Perennial Flu Vaccine Gets Closer
A vaccine aimed at the stable M2 flu virus protein, rather than the variable H or N proteins, could be useful every year. Christopher Intagliata reports
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Norovirus Survives Restaurant Dishwashing Protocols
Dishwashing protocols designed with food-borne bacteria in mind didn't cut the mustard in a test with noroviruses, which cause nasty gastrointestinal illnesses. Karen Hopkin reports
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Whales Sing When and Where They Wanna
Humpback whales sing complex songs even when diving and foraging, when it's neither the time nor place for mating behavior. Sophie Bushwick reports
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Better Bitter Tasters Bust Bacteria
Those who can better detect bitter flavors may also be better equipped to fight off upper respiratory tract bacterial infections. Mary Harris reports
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Low-Tech Wastewater Treatment Recipe Features Onions
Powdered onions sopped up most of the lead, iron and tin in wastewater samples laden with the metals. Christopher Intagliata reports
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Deeper Voiced Women Have Election Advantage
In mock elections between female candidates, the deeper-voice carried the vast majority of the votes. Christopher Intagliata reports
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Humans Said Cheese 7500 Years Ago
Milk fat residue on pottery shards shows that people were purposefully making cheese at least 7,500 years ago. Sophie Bushwick reports.
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Scats Reveal Gorilla Diet Stats
Via carbon isotope measurement, what comes out of a gorilla reveals an accurate estimate of what went into the gorilla. Karen Hopkin reports
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Porcupine Quills Inspire Better Needles
The barbs on porcupine quill tips let them penetrate flesh with less force and hold on with more force than a barbless needle. Sophie Bushwick reports.
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Cave Artists Had Leg Up On Moderns
A comparison of prehistoric and more recent art reveals that early humans had a better grasp of quadruped locomotion. Sophie Bushwick reports.
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We Listen with Our Hands, Too
Hearing action words can cause subtle motor responses--but context is key. Daisy Yuhas reports
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Bird Nest Ciggy Butts Lower Parasite Load
Mexico City birds that decorate their digs with discarded cigarette butts are less bothered by parasites. Karen Hopkin reports
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Mercury Dumped in Ocean Returns in Fog
Trace amounts of mercury dumped in the Pacific possibly during gold rush days are being carried back on land in fog from the ocean. Christopher Intagliata reports
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Parrots Mimic Other Specific Parrots
Parrots appear to purposely imitate the calls of other individual parrots from which they wish to get a response. Karen Hopkin reports
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Researchers Sequence Sweet Juicy Genome
A consortium has published the complete genome of a top fresh fruit--the domesticated watermelon. Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports
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Photosynthetic Bacteria Pick Best Light
Blue-green algae (really bacteria) can fine-tune their photosynthetic apparatus to take advantage of the predominant wavelength of ambient light. Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports
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Meat Allergy Reaches Regions Without Ticks
Experts aren't sure why a meat allergy linked to tick bites is reaching areas beyond the tick range. Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports.
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Crocodile Skin Confers Delicate Touch Sense
The bumps that cover the skin of crocodilians are full of nerve endings that are exquisitely sensitive to pressure and vibration. Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports
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Olfactory Overload Causes White Smell
Combining a wide variety of odors gives rise to a nondescript scent, just as combining colors of many wavelengths generates white light. Karen Hopkin reports.
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Old Book's Wormholes Show Geographic Origin
By measuring wormholes in ancient texts, researchers can identify the larval attackers and then limit the origin site for the individual book. Rose Eveleth reports
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Other Great Apes May Have Midlife Crises
Zookeeper ratings of the moods of 500 chimps and orangutans revealed that our closest relatives also show a U-shaped curve of life satisfaction. Karen Hopkin reports
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Placebos Work Better On Stoics
Placebo painkillers do less for people who tend toward hostility and work best for the naturally resilient. Karen Hopkin reports.
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Wormy Monkeys Had Healthier Intestines
Infecting monkeys with helminth worms lessened the symptoms of their version of inflammatory bowel disease. Christopher Intagliata reports
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Rats Direct Inhalations For Smell Focus
Rats change the way air flows across the insides of their nostrils to direct the scent to the nasal region where it can be best detected. Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports.
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Climate Change Threatens Legacy Coffee
Rising temperatures may cripple Ethiopian wild populations of Arabica coffee, which have more genetic diversity than cultivated crops. Christopher Intagliata reports
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Clown Fish Know When to Cry Uncle
Social hierarchy in clown fish is signaled via different types of calls, which obviates the need for physical conflict. Sophie Bushwick reports
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Obama Cites Science and Tech in Win Speech
After winning reelection, President Obama noted the importance of science and technology to the country. Steve Mirsky pulled pertinent clips from the speech
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Atom-Thick Layer Keeps Silver Shiny
A technique for depositing atom-thick protective layers on silver could safely keep works of art from tarnishing. Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports
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Elephant Never Forgets To Say Hi
An elephant in a Korean zoo has developed a way to vocalize a handful of recognizable words in the Korean language. Sophie Bushwick reports.
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Non-Stick Surface On Med Devices Could Keep Bacteria At...
In lab tests, catheters coated with a non-stick surface harbored far fewer Staph bacteria than conventional devices. Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports.
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Old Skeletons Hold DNA Clues to TB
Scientists hope to learn tuberculosis's genetic secrets by examining TB genes in old bones and comparing them with other strains from the past and present. Katherine Harmon reports
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Scientific American After Sandy
Scientific American Editor-in-Chief Mariette DiChristina brings us up to date on the state of our New York City-based operation after Sandy. Recorded October 31st at 2:30pm Eastern time.
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Shock Absorber Dampens Baseball Bat Stings
A shock absorber in a baseball bat's knob tuned to cancel out certain vibration frequencies can reduce the painful sting that comes when the ball makes contact away from the "sweet spot." Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports.
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Whale Mimics Human Speech
A captive beluga whale has altered his normal songs to more closely approximate human pitch and rhythms. Christopher Intagliata reports.
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Short Interval Training Burns Big Calories
Active young men burned 200 more calories on days when they did five 30-second sprints on an exercise bike. Christopher Intagliata reports.
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Royal Society Runs Science Women Wiki Marathon
The Royal Society is looking for volunteers create or enhance entries on female scientists, mathematicians and engineers. Karen Hopkin reports
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Mice Can Vocally Mimic Each Other
When two male mice of different lineages were kept together, the animals gradually learned to match the pitch of their songs. Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports
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Urea! Turtle Finds Unusual Excretion Method
Kidneys are only part of the equation for a turtle that dumps most of its urea out through its kisser. Katherine Harmon reports
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Food Pairings Rely On Mouthfeel
Red wine goes with steak and soda with a burger in part because the astringent feel and the fatty feel balance out in our mouths. Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports.
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Why Did The Elephant Have Thin Hair?
Not because he left his toupee in his trunk. Thin hair can help an animal stay cool, while thicker hair can keep it warm. Christopher Intagliata reports.
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Food Chemists Celebrate Tasty Centennial
It's the 100th anniversary of the Maillard reaction, perhaps the most important chemical reaction that takes place to enhance food's taste when we cook. Karen Hopkin reports
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Sauropod Neck Bones Were Really Tendons
Microscopic analysis of what were thought to be thin rib-like bones that ran the length of sauropods necks show them to be ossified tendons. Christopher Intagliata reports.
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Finch Scopes Out Mates With Right Eye Only
When male Gouldian finches had their right eyes covered, they lost their previous discrimination in favor of the coloration of specific females. Karen Hopkin reports.
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Marine Plant Flees Predators
The phytoplankton Heterosigma akashiwo swims away from zooplankton, its natural predator, but stays put in the presence of other predators without a specific taste for it. Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports
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Snake Venom Contains Potent Painkiller
The black mamba's venom has a special ingredient: a painkiller as potent as morphine. Christopher Intagliata reports
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Rechargeable Batteries Could Get New Life
Now that researchers know that nickel blocks lithium ions and keeps older batteries from recharging, they can try to modify manufacturing processes to avoid the problem. Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports
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Coyote Love Lasts Forever
Researchers tracked urban coyotes over six years and found that they never stray from their mate. Amy Kraft reports.
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Degradable Electronics Come Closer to Reality
Researchers have created degradable prototype electronics that function for a set time--and then dissolve. Sophie Bushwick reports
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It Takes 275 Water Molecules to Make Ice
By tracking the light absorption properties of clusters of water molecules, researchers determined that the change to ice occurs at 275 H20s. Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports
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Virus Treatment Could Target Acne
Viruses that kill acne-causing bacteria show promise in the lab as a potential acne treatment. Sophie Bushwick reports
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Bird Malaria Moves North
Seven percent of 700 birds tested in Anchorage and Fairbanks were infected with avian malaria. Christopher Intagliata reports
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Was This Summer A Climate Change Event?
James McCarthy, professor of biological oceanography at Harvard, says this summer's record heat and dryness could have occurred with lower atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations--but it would have been highly unlikely. Steve Mirsky reports.
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Farmed Fish Need To Keep Fit
Farmed fish don't get the exercise of their wild counterparts, which can make them unfit, prone to illness and less profitable for farmers. Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports.
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Human First Impulse Is Generosity
When people have to make a choice instantly of being more or less generous, their first impulse is toward cooperation. Sophie Bushwick reports
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Fun Veggie Names Ups Kid Intake
Renaming vegetables with fun titles in school cafeterias increased how much healthful food kids ate. Christopher Intagliata reports
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Sexually Aroused Women Are Harder To Gross Out
Sexual arousal dampens the disgust response in women, both in the bedroom and outside of it. Ian Chant reports.
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Sea Otters Fight Global Warming
By controlling kelp-eating sea urchins, otters help the seaweed thrive and absorb more carbon dioxide, in a case study of the role of animals in the carbon cycle. Sophie Bushwick reports.
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Newer Cookware Shatters More Easily
Newer cookware, made from soda lime silicate glass instead of borosilicate glass, has a smaller shatterproof temperature range. Christopher Intagliata reports
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Jilted Rock Sparrows Sing Loudest
A rock sparrow's song broadcasts his luck with the ladies--whether good or bad. Daisy Yuhas reports.
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Tattoo Infections Traced to Ink Supply
An outbreak of bacterial infections among patrons of a clean tattoo parlor was traced to a premixed bottle of gray ink carrying the bacteria. Karen Hopkin reports
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Marine Bacterium Creates Cooperative Populations
Vibrionaceae bacteria form populations with a few antibiotic producers and many resistant individuals--the group can thus defend against other groups without their arrangement. Sophie Bushwick reports.
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Testosterone Dips for Baby-Snoozing Dads
Dads who sleep next to their babies have lower testosterone than other pops--which is probably good for the kid. Christopher Intagliata reports
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Stay Thirsty, My Unfair Friends
Humans will reject an unfair deal even when they really want what's at stake, like water for extreme thirst. Amy Kraft reports
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Rifle Hunters Shape Elk Evolution
Hunters with high-powered rifles are giving a survival advantage to elk that stay hidden in forests over fast, bold elk who had the advantage over natural predators. Christopher Intagliata reports
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You Can Survive The State Fair Food
The Mayo Clinic's Donald Hensrud, who specializes in nutrition and preventive medicine, offered advice on having your fried Twinkies at state fairs and eating them, too. Steve Mirsky reports.
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Lighting and Music Reduce Fast Food Meal Size
Patrons in part of a fast-food restaurant that had a fine-dining atmosphere consumed almost a fifth fewer calories per meal than those in the regular section. Steve Mirsky reports.
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Studying Instead of Sleeping Bites Students
Students who studied a lot at the expense of sleep had significantly more negative incidents, such as not understanding a lecture, as those who kept a more balanced study schedule. Christie Nicholson reports
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Gibbon Call Produced Like Human Soprano Song
A gibbon on helium showed researchers that the two parts of the ape's sound-making apparatus--the larynx and vocal tract--function independently, as in human singing. Sophie Bushwick reports.
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Elderly with Heart Risk Factors May Be More...
Older individuals with high cholesterol and C-reactive protein levels probably have protective genes, allowing their brains to stay healthy in spite of their heart risks. Christopher Intagliata reports
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A Gel That Extends the Shelf Life of Bananas
Chemists have created a spray-on gel that can slow the ripening of bananas. Christie Nicholson reports
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Camouflage Makeup That Protects Against Bomb Blasts
Scientists have found a way to make military camouflage makeup heat and fire proof. Christopher Intagliata reports
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How To Power Nuclear Reactors For Another Century
Hidden within the oceans, scientists have found a possible way to power nuclear reactors for another 100 years. Christopher Intagliata reports
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Zap Sweet Potatoes to Boost Antioxidants
Giving a jolt of electricity to sweet potatoes increased the level of antioxidants known as polyphenols by 60 percent. Amy Kraft reports
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Hourly Car Renters Seek Cost Not Community
Zipcar users primarily consider their own convenience and cost, rather than being green or part of a user community. Evelyn Lamb reports.
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Hermit Crabs Remodel Shells with Predators in Mind
A hermit crab removes material from a new shell to make it more spacious, but it stops short of weakening it to a predator's crushing ability. Christopher Intagliata reports
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Pregnancy Changes Mom's Gut Bacteria
Pregnant women's microbial makeup changed dramatically between the first and third trimesters. Ian Chant reports
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Mummy Had Lung Infection, Technique Reveals
Shotgun proteomics on a corpse can determine whether someone was actually suffering from a disease rather than just carrying it. Evelyn Lamb reports
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Elephants Vocalize Like Us, Not Cats
The larynx of a dead elephant showed researchers that the pachyderms vocalize the way humans do, as opposed to the active larynx control employed by cats. Sophie Bushwick reports
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Don't Waste Waste
The journal Science concentrates its latest issue on making the most of the vast amounts of waste plastics, metal, water and sludge we produce. Cynthia Graber reports.
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Pre-Columbian America Enjoyed "Black Drink"
Black Drink, a caffeinated brew of toasted leaves and twigs of the holly plant, was apparently popular far from any holly. Cynthia Graber reports
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Big Time Zone Shift Ups Athlete Illness
A study of elite rugby players found a doubling of illness rates when the athletes had to travel five or more time zones. Cynthia Graber reports
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Poor Sleep Hampers Vaccines
Lack of sleep can compromise the immune system's response to vaccines, in some cases making the shots useless. Christopher Intagliata reports.
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Curiosity Rover Is Safe on Mars
After successfully completing its complex series of landing maneuvers, the Curiosity rover is on the Martian surface and ready to begin exploration. John Matson reports
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Spongeworthiness Defines Dolphin Clique
Dolphins that wear marine sponges to protect their beaks when they hunt prefer to hang out with other so-called spongers. Amy Kraft reports.
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Jays and Youngsters Solve Aesop Problem Similarly
Until kids are eight, they're only about equally good as European Jays at solving a problem outlined by Aesop. Sophie Bushwick reports.
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SciAm Math Doc Defends Algebra Ed
Evelyn Lamb, math PhD, responds to poli-sci prof Andrew Hacker's argument that most students do not need an algebra class. Steve Mirsky reports.
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Tick Bite Triggers Meat Allergy
Some folks bitten by the Lone Star tick report subsequent allergic reactions to meat. A compound in tick saliva similar to one found in meat may be to blame. Christopher Intagliata reports.
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Olympic Records Boosted by Materials Science
New materials in athletic equipment and within athletes' bodies make previously impossible performances commonplace today. Cynthia Graber reports
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Japanese Cuisine Fungus Domesticated For Metabolic Traits
Tiny differences in the genomes of a wild fungus and its domesticated cousin responsible for miso and sake suggest that selection during breeding affected genes related to metabolism rather than development. Evelyn Lamb reports.
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Protein Refolds To Perform Second Job
The transcription factor RfaH unfolds and then refolds into a new conformation to become a translation factor. Ian Chant reports.
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Noisy Nookie Makes Flies Bat Food
Frisky male flies flutter their wings, producing sounds that bats use to locate the distracted prey. Amy Kraft reports.
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Banana Genome Could Help Bunches
Researchers sequenced the genome of a type of banana, which may help the most popular banana variety ward off diseases that threaten its existence. Sophie Bushwick reports.
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Neanderthals May Have Self-Medicated
Fifty-thousand-year-old dental plaque reveals that Neanderthals may have used certain plants for their medicinal qualities. Christopher Intagliata reports.
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Chemistry Nobelist Attacks Macular Degeneration
A team led by chemistry Nobel laureate Walter Kohn has developed a tool for the diagnosis of the specific visual distortions perceived by any individual suffering from macular degeneration. Mariette DiChristina reports
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Give Time to Feel Less Time-Squeeze
Giving time to others can have the paradoxical effect of making you feel like you have more time yourself. Katherine Harmon reports
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Fungus Makes Manganese Manage Mine Mess
Fungi and bacteria produce superoxide that makes manganese into an environmental cleanup star. Cynthia Graber reports
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Silk Protein Lets Vaccines Stand the Heat
Encased in silk protein, vaccines and antibiotics survived tropical temperatures without refrigeration. Cynthia Graber reports.
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Eye Movements Do Not Reveal Lying
Multiple tests of eye movement direction and honesty found no correlation between lying and eye direction. Steve Mirsky reports
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Northern Lights Make Noise, Too
Researchers have recorded sound evidence to support the idea that noises long reputed to accompany the aurora borealis do exist. Steve Mirsky reports
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Stand Up Now to Stick Around Later
Sitting for less than three hours a day could increase average life expectancy by two years. Katherine Harmon reports
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Gravitionally Lensed Light Caused By Ancient Massive...
Astronomers observed light warped by the lensing effect of a massive galaxy cluster more than 10 billion light years away, the most distant cluster ever responsible for perceived lensing. Evelyn Lamb reports.
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Brain Bluffs Humans Differently Than Machines
The temporal parietal junctions of poker players behaved differently when they were bluffing another human versus bluffing a computer. Cynthia Graber reports.
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Andy Teaches Opie Math
Andy Griffith died on July 3rd. As Mayberry sheriff Andy Taylor, he attempts to teach son Opie (Ron Howard) some basic math.
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Teeny Fly Likely Cuts Off Tiny Heads
A newly discovered phorid fly is less than half-a-millimeter long and, if its like its relatives, parasitizes and decapitates tiny ants. Sophie Bushwick reports.
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Predator-Prey Equations Govern Gang Territories
The Lotka-Volterra equations describe population dynamics between competing species. Criminologists have now shown they also describe gang turf boundary formation and violence hot spots. Evelyn Lamb reports.
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Fiber Boosts Bowel Beneficial Bacteria
Dietary fiber upped gut numbers of anti-inflammatory Faecalibacterium and beneficial lactobacillus. Christopher Intagliata reports.
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Breeding Miscue Robbed Taste from Supermarket Tomatoes
Supermarket tomatoes were bred to all turn light green at the same time, but what came along for that ride was a reduction in the ability to produce sugar. Cynthia Graber reports
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IV Oxygen Foam Could Buy Breathing Time
Animals with blocked windpipes maintained stable blood oxygen levels and heart rates after receiving injections of oxygen-filled microparticles. Sophie Bushwick reports.
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Researcher Argues That Plants Can See
Daniel Chamovitz, director of the Manna Center for Plant Biosciences at Tel Aviv University and author of the new book What a Plant Knows, says we discount plants' ability to appreciate light. Steve Mirsky reports
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Some Skill Sleep Learning May Work
Hearing material while sleeping that you've already learned may improve sensorimotor skills related to the execution of the material. Christopher Intagliata reports
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Toothy Expressions Grab Attention
People looking at a crowd more readily spot those faces that show teeth, whether smiling or snarling. Sophie Bushwick reports
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Audience Guides Music Evolution
A study makes the case for the public's taste exerting Darwinian selection pressure on music composition. Evelyn Lamb reports.
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Africans Did Dairy Seven Millennia Ago
Milk fat compounds found on pottery shards indicate that Africans were engaged in dairy farming by about 7,000 years ago. Cynthia Graber reports
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Doggy Dust May Lower Asthma Risk
Mice that ate dust from homes with dogs were protected against a respiratory infection that can lead to asthma in humans. Christopher Intagliata reports
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Lyme Disease Outfoxes Deer
In some locations the incidence of Lyme disease tracks less with the abundance of deer than it does with the disappearance of foxes. Karen Hopkin reports
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Bikeshare Riders Shun Helmets
A study of the DC bike sharing program found that borrowers wear helmets far less often than do riders on their own bicycles. Karen Hopkin reports.
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Plant's Chemistry Gets Mice to Spit Seeds
Rodents feeding on sweet mignonette love the fruit, but dislike the spicy seeds. So they spit them out, thereby dispersing them--to the plant's benefit. Karen Hopkin reports
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These Birds Make Peace in Bad Weather
Yuhina birds fight over nest space, but in bad weather they leave each other alone much more. Amy Kraft report
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Birds and Bats Downsized Bugs
Insect size tracked with atmospheric oxygen levels, until hungry birds and bats hit the scene. Karen Hopkin reports
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Urban Kids Have More Food Allergies Than Their Country...
Six percent of children in rural areas had a food allergy, compared with 10 percent of kids in urban centers. Sophie Bushwick reports
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Vampire Spiders Home In on Female Mosquitoes
Vampire spiders pick out female mosquitoes, based on viewing either a blood-filled abdomen or the female's distinctive antennae. Christopher Intagliata reports
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Hulk Take Break, Shrimp Smash!
Researchers uncover the secrets behind the super-hard hammering appendages of the peacock mantis shrimp. Cynthia Graber reports.
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Lasers Help Weigh Dinosaurs
A new technique can estimate a body's volume and weight based on laser scans of its skeleton. Sophie Bushwick reports
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Mosquitoes Navigate Rain by Not Caring
Mosquitoes are so light that speeding raindrops simply brush them aside without imparting much force. Karen Hopkin reports
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