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Bird flu was found in a US pig – does that raise the risk for humans?

A bird flu virus that has been circulating in dairy cattle for months has now been found in a pig in the US for the first time, raising the risk of the virus evolving to become more dangerous to people




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Viruses may help store vast amounts of carbon in soil

Soil is full of an uncountable number of viruses, and scientists are only beginning to understand just how substantial their role in the carbon cycle may be




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3D printing with light and sound could let us copy human organs

One day, doctors might be able to 3D print copies of your organs in order to test a variety of drugs, thanks to a new technique that uses light and sound for rapid printing




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What preparing for an asteroid strike teaches us about climate change

Averting an asteroid strike will need many of the same skills we must hone to tackle climate change and future pandemics




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What is the price of genius, asks biography of Roger Penrose

The Impossible Man by Patchen Barss salutes Roger Penrose's groundbreaking work in physics and mathematics while challenging the idea that a genius should be exempt from ordinary obligations




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Watch elephants use a hose to shower themselves – and prank others

Asian elephants at Berlin Zoo show impressive skill when using a hose as a tool, and even appear to sabotage each other by stopping the flow of water




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Our only visit to Uranus came at an unusual time for the planet

Voyager 2 flew by Uranus in 1986, giving us our only up-close look at the planet – but unusual space weather just before the craft arrived has given us a misleading idea about the planet’s magnetic field




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Red kites and buzzards are being killed by misuse of rat poisons

Campaigners are calling for stricter controls on rodenticides after finding that birds of prey in England are increasingly being exposed to high doses of rat poison




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SpaceX targets Starship flight next week – just a month after last one

SpaceX is preparing for the sixth test flight of Starship, the world's most powerful rocket. Next week's launch – if successful – will be the fastest turnaround yet




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A new life on Mars? Expect toxic dust, bad vibes and insects for lunch

You might have heard about plans to establish a self‑sustaining city on Mars. Here’s what life would really be like on the Red Planet




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Migratory birds can use Earth's magnetic field like a GPS

Eurasian reed warblers don’t just get a sense of direction from Earth’s magnetic field – they can also calculate their coordinates on a mental map




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Drought, fires and fossil fuels push CO2 emissions to a record high

An annual accounting of CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels and land use change finds no sign emissions will peak this year




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Mammoth tusk tool may have been used to make ropes 37,000 years ago

Experiments with a replica suggest that a piece of mammoth ivory with carved holes found in a cave in Germany was used by ancient humans to make ropes




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How ancient Herculaneum papyrus scrolls were deciphered

3D mapping and artificial intelligence has helped decipher an ancient Herculaneum papyrus scroll which had been digitally scanned




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Indigenous Australians have managed land with fire for 11,000 years

Lake sediments reveal the ancient history of Aboriginal people’s use of fire to manage the landscape, a tradition that has benefits for biodiversity




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Human brains have been mysteriously preserved for thousands of years

Intact human brains 12,000 years old or more have been found in unexpected places such as shipwrecks and waterlogged graves, but it is unclear what preserved them




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Ancient canoes hint at bustling trade in Mediterranean 7000 years ago

Italian canoes capable of transporting people and goods have been dated to the Neolithic period, suggesting there was a bustling trade across the Mediterranean Sea




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Ancient people carved mysterious symbols near dinosaur footprints

A unique site in Brazil features rock carvings closely associated with dinosaur tracks, suggesting prehistoric people saw the footprints as meaningful




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Stone Age blades could have been used for butchery, not just hunting

A modern butchery experiment using replicas of Stone Age tools raises new questions about how often prehistoric peoples hunted large animals such as bison or mammoths




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Australia’s Indigenous people were making pottery over 2000 years ago

An excavation on an island in the Coral Sea shows that Indigenous Australians were producing ceramics long before the arrival of Europeans




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Oldest known human viruses found hidden within Neanderthal bones

Genetic analysis of 50,000-year-old Neanderthal skeletons has uncovered the remnants of three viruses related to modern human pathogens, and the researchers think they could be recreated




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Why did hominins like us evolve at all?

Animal life on Earth existed for over half a billion years before hominins hit the scene – a complex combination of environmental changes, innovations in technology and competition may have led to us




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Early humans took northern route to Australia, cave find suggests

An excavation on Timor reveals humans first settled on the island 44,000 years ago, long after the earliest occupation of Australia – suggesting migration to the latter took another route




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Evidence of consciousness in newborns has implications for their care

Babies cannot tell us what they are experiencing, so it is hard to know what they are conscious of. But new research suggesting they perceive the world consciously could change how we care for them, says Claudia Passos-Ferreira




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Mysterious rock art in Venezuela hints at little-known ancient culture

Pictograms and petroglyphs depicting abstract lines and shapes offer a rare glimpse into the culture of people who lived in South America thousands of years ago




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Ancient artefacts suggest Australian ritual endured for 12,000 years

Wooden sticks found in an Australian cave appear to match the accounts of a 19th-century anthropologist, suggesting the GurnaiKurnai people practised the same ritual at the end of the last glacial period




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Egyptian pyramid may have been built using a water-powered elevator

Ancient Egyptians may have relied on a vertical shaft that could be filled with water, along with a network of water channels and filtration structures, to build the Step Pyramid of Djoser 4500 years ago




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What made us human? The fossils redefining our evolutionary origins

Fossils found 50 and 100 years ago seemed to pinpoint the moment humanity emerged – but defining a human has turned out to be far trickier than we thought




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Ancient plant artefact reveals humanity's epic journey to Australia

We know that modern humans took one of two routes to first reach Australia, and now an ancient chunk of plant resin has tipped the evidence towards the northern option




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Cocaine in mummified brains reveals when Europeans first used the drug

The use of cocaine only took off in Europe during the 19th century, after the drug was chemically isolated from coca leaves, but new evidence suggests much earlier use




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Neolithic engineers used science knowledge to build megalith monument

A monument in southern Spain that dates to between 3600 and 3800 BC appears to have been built with an understanding of geology and physics




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Rachel Kushner’s Booker-shortlisted Creation Lake is top-notch

For an undercover operative, Sadie Smith takes unnecessary risks as she infiltrates an eco-activist group. Why? And where do the Neanderthals fit into Creation Lake, Rachel Kushner's Booker-shortlisted climate fiction novel? Emily H. Wilson loved finding out




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Read an extract from Rachel Kushner's Creation Lake

In the opening to Rachel Kushner's Booker-shortlisted novel Creation Lake, the latest pick for the New Scientist Book Club, we meet undercover operative Sadie Smith as she secretly reads the emails of an eco-activist group




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How the evolution of citrus is inextricably linked with our own

Millions of years ago, our ancestors lost a gene for producing vitamin C and got a taste for citrus. Since then, we've cultivated the tangy fruits into global staples like sweet oranges and sour lemons




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How to Use Ketone Strips to Measure Ketosis

Title: How to Use Ketone Strips to Measure Ketosis
Category: Health and Living
Created: 8/24/2022 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/24/2022 12:00:00 AM




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Guarding Against Gridiron Concussion

Title: Guarding Against Gridiron Concussion
Category: Health News
Created: 8/28/2006 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/28/2006 12:00:00 AM




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Study Points to Cause of Vioxx Heart Risk

Title: Study Points to Cause of Vioxx Heart Risk
Category: Health News
Created: 8/28/2007 2:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/28/2007 12:00:00 AM




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Nasal Spray May Ease Cluster Headaches

Title: Nasal Spray May Ease Cluster Headaches
Category: Health News
Created: 8/29/2007 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/29/2007 12:00:00 AM




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Computer-Related Eye Strain Not Just for Adults

Title: Computer-Related Eye Strain Not Just for Adults
Category: Health News
Created: 8/31/2007 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/31/2007 12:00:00 AM




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Chronic Media Multi-Tasking Makes It Harder to Focus

Title: Chronic Media Multi-Tasking Makes It Harder to Focus
Category: Health News
Created: 8/24/2009 4:10:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 8/25/2009 12:00:00 AM




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Tobacco Use Kills 6 Million People Annually: Report

Title: Tobacco Use Kills 6 Million People Annually: Report
Category: Health News
Created: 8/25/2009 4:10:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 8/26/2009 12:00:00 AM




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More Evidence Virus Plays Role in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Title: More Evidence Virus Plays Role in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Category: Health News
Created: 8/23/2010 6:10:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 8/24/2010 12:00:00 AM




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Sledding Accidents Land Thousands of Kids in ER

Title: Sledding Accidents Land Thousands of Kids in ER
Category: Health News
Created: 8/24/2010 11:02:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/24/2010 11:02:36 AM




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Study Links Gene to Serious Eye Disease

Title: Study Links Gene to Serious Eye Disease
Category: Health News
Created: 8/25/2010 6:10:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 8/26/2010 12:00:00 AM




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U.S. Child Abuse Cases Falling, Despite Recession

Title: U.S. Child Abuse Cases Falling, Despite Recession
Category: Health News
Created: 8/25/2010 12:10:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 8/26/2010 12:00:00 AM




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Long-Term Exercise Can Reduce Vets' Muscle Pain

Title: Long-Term Exercise Can Reduce Vets' Muscle Pain
Category: Health News
Created: 8/26/2010 6:10:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 8/27/2010 12:00:00 AM




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Doctors' Religious Beliefs Can Color Their Care of Terminally Ill

Title: Doctors' Religious Beliefs Can Color Their Care of Terminally Ill
Category: Health News
Created: 8/26/2010 2:10:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 8/27/2010 12:00:00 AM




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Health Tip: Training a Toddler to Use the Toilet

Title: Health Tip: Training a Toddler to Use the Toilet
Category: Health News
Created: 8/26/2010 10:10:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/27/2010 12:00:00 AM




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Egg Recall: FDA Finds Salmonella on Suspect Farms

Title: Egg Recall: FDA Finds Salmonella on Suspect Farms
Category: Health News
Created: 8/27/2010 9:58:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/27/2010 9:58:01 AM




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Walking School Bus Programs Take Off

Title: Walking School Bus Programs Take Off
Category: Health News
Created: 8/23/2011 11:01:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/23/2011 12:00:00 AM