Vol. 205 No. 2
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More Stories from the January 27, 2024 issue

  1. Animals

    A new species of hedgehog stands out for its short spikes

    At first, the eastern forest hedgehog was mistaken for its cousin. Dental and DNA analyses eventually confirmed the critter is a species new to science.

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  2. Physics

    Here’s how much fruit you can take from a display before it collapses

    About 10 percent of the fruit in a tilted market display can be removed before it all crashes down, computer simulations show.

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  3. Health & Medicine

    Fetuses make a protein that causes morning sickness in pregnancy

    A hormone called GDF15 triggers a part of the brain involved in nausea and vomiting, a new study finds. Blocking its action may lead to treatments.

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  4. Life

    Bacteria fossils hold the oldest signs of machinery needed for photosynthesis

    Microfossils from Australia suggest that cyanobacteria evolved structures for oxygen-producing photosynthesis by 1.78 billion years ago.

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  5. Physics

    Invisible comet tails of mucus slow sinking flakes of ‘marine snow’

    New measurements reveal the gunk that surrounds the particles, an important factor in understanding how the ocean sequesters carbon.

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  6. Animals

    Reindeer can sleep while they chew

    Brain waves and behaviors suggest that reindeer can doze while chewing, a timesaving strategy for sleeping under tough conditions.

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  7. Animals

    Why do some lizards and snakes have horns?

    These reptiles’ horns can be an asset or a liability. A new study looks at the evolutionary roots of this wild headgear.

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  8. Animals

    Here’s how spiders that go overboard use light to find land

    When elongate stilt spiders fall into water, they head for areas that don’t reflect light in the hope of finding dry land, experiments suggest.

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  9. Astronomy

    A bar of stars at the center of the Milky Way looks surprisingly young

    The ages and locations of metal-rich stars in the galaxy suggest the Milky Way’s central bar finished forming just a few billion years ago.

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  10. Planetary Science

    A toxic gas that could help spawn life has been found on Enceladus

    Cassini data indicate that hydrogen cyanide, a key building block for life, exists on Saturn’s icy moon. A snakelike NASA robot might test for sure.

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  11. Earth

    Speed bumps under Thwaites Glacier could help slow its flow to the sea

    A seismic survey of Thwaites’ icy underbelly shows the Antarctica glacier may be snagging on tall rises in land. That could help slow global sea level rise.

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  12. Paleontology

    50 years ago, trilobite eyes mesmerized scientists

    Decades of research has confirmed that for such simple creatures, trilobites had astoundingly complex eyes.

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