
Roadside Saliva Test for Marijuana Intoxication Developed
NewsThis November, several states will vote whether to legalize marijuana use, joining more than 20 states that already allow some form of cannabis use. This has prompted a need for effective tools for police to determine on the spot whether people are driving under the influence.
Contributed Author: Stanford UniversityTopics: Chemistry
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'Five-second Food Rule' Not So Safe, Study Shows
NewsTurns out bacteria may transfer to candy that has fallen on the floor no matter how fast you pick it up. Researchers have disproven the widely accepted notion that it's OK to scoop up food and eat it within a "safe" five-second window.Contributed Author: Rutgers UniversityTopics: Food/Bev
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Crab from Chinese Pet Market Becomes New Species of a New Genus
NewsShimmering carapaces and rattling claws make colorful freshwater crabs attractive to pet keepers. To answer the demand, fishermen are busy collecting and trading with the crustaceans, often not knowing what exactly they have handed over to their client. Contributed Author: Pensoft PublishersTopics: Ethology
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Serotonin May Play Role in Guiding Food Choices
NewsIf you’re a human who’s really hungry, a handful of nuts, a piece of cheese or a nice juicy steak may really hit the spot. If you’re a fruit fly, a nibble of yeast will do the trick.Contributed Author: University of Michigan Health SystemTopics: Biology
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Judging a Book Through its Cover
NewsA new computational imaging method, designed by MIT researchers, can identify letters printed on the first nine pages of a stack of paper.Contributed
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Kill Them with Cuteness: The Adorable Thing Bats Do to Catch Prey
NewsA researcher noticed the bats he works with cocked their heads to the side, just like his pet pug. Using high-tech recording devices, he determined that a bat’s fetching head waggles and ear wiggles synch with the animal’s sonar vocalizations to help it hunt. Contributed Author: Johns Hopkins UniversityTopics: Ethology
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ICYMI: Dakota Access Pipeline Protests Turn Violent, Ruling Expected Today
NewsWelcome to Laboratory Equipment's Friday series, In Case You Missed It (ICYMI), where we bring you three trending news stories from the week. On the menu: violent protests over the Dakota Access Pipeline, the rise and fall of Theranos and how to get rid of a cold quickly. Staff Author: Michelle TaylorTopics: Energy/Fuel
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Bilingualism Linked to Improved Attention Control
NewsResearchers from the University of Birmingham have shed light onto the cognitive benefits of bilingualism, pointing to an enhanced ability to maintain attention and focus.Contributed Author: University of BirminghamTopics: Biology
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North Korea Claims Another Nuclear Detonation
NewsNorth Korea is rattling the sabers again. The tiny nation claims it detonated its fifth nuclear test early this morning. The claims were immediately greeted with condemnation by South Korea and the world’s nuclear powers.
Staff Author: Seth AugensteinTopics: Chemistry
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Giant Cruise Ship Makes Historic Voyage in Melting Arctic
NewsThe giant luxury cruise liner was anchored just off Nome, too hulking to use the Bering Sea community's docks on its inaugural visit. The Crystal Serenity's visit to Alaska's western coast is historic. Contributed Author: Mark Thiessen, Associated PressTopics: Climate Change
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A Tenth of World’s Wilderness Lost Since the 1990s
NewsResearchers show catastrophic declines in wilderness areas around the world over the last 20 years. They demonstrate alarming losses comprising a tenth of global wilderness since the 1990s.Contributed Author: Wildlife Conservation SocietyTopics: Geoscience
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SERS Substrates Work with Two Wavelengths
Product AnnouncementOcean Optics’ RAM-SERS-SP Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy substrates use a proprietary gold-silver nanosponge alloy.Contributed Author: Ocean OpticsTopics: New Products
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Teaching Human Values to Artificial Intelligences
NewsTwo Cornell experts in artificial intelligence (AI) have joined a nationwide team setting out to ensure that when computers are running the world, they will make decisions compatible with human values.
Contributed Author: Cornell
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Asteroid Bennu Getting First Visitor in Billions of Years
NewsAn asteroid that may hold the key to life is getting its first visitor in billions of years. Asteroid Bennu, a black roundish rock taller than the Empire State Building, is the intended target of a NASA spacecraft set to blast off Thursday night. Contributed Author: Marcia Dunn, Associated PressTopics: Space
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To See the Unseeable: Hundreds of Black Holes Mapped for First Time
NewsBlack holes are tricky â€" since they do not emit photons, we cannot see them. But a new computer modeling method enabled a team of researchers to “see the unseeable†for the first time: a cluster of hundreds of black holes within a star cluster.
Staff Author: Seth AugensteinTopics: Space
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Genetic Analysis Uncovers Four Species of Giraffe, Not Just One
NewsUp until now, scientists had only recognized a single species of giraffe made up of several subspecies. But, according to the most inclusive genetic analysis of giraffe relationships to date, giraffes actually aren't one species, but four.
Contributed Author: Cell PressTopics: Ethology
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Molecular Traps Remove Unwanted Moisture
Product AnnouncementBiolytic’s Molecular Traps are designed to remove unwanted moisture from various reagents. Contributed Author: Biolytic Lab Performance, Inc.Topics: New Products
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Scientists Use Undersea Drones to Help Predict Hurricanes
NewsAs Hermine worked its way up the East Coast, scientists deployed several underwater drones they say will help them better understand what sustains and strengthens hurricanes and tropical storms.Contributed Author: Associated PressTopics: Climate Change
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New Parasite Named in Honor of President Obama
NewsA team of American parasitologists has discovered a new species of parasitic flatworm that infects turtles in Malaysia. The new species is so unusual and distinctive that the research team has named a new genus to include the new species. Contributed Author: The Journal of Parasitology Topics: Ethology
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Package Reduces Sample Analysis Time
Product AnnouncementThermo Fisher’s Pathfinder X-ray microanalysis software works in tandem with scanning electron and transmission electron microscopes to extract essential information.Contributed Author: Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.Topics: New Products
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Q&A: Márta Gácsi and the Similarities of Dog, Human Brains
NewsLaboratory Equipment's scientist of the week is Márta Gácsi, ethologist at Eötvös Loránd University. She used an fMRI scanner to image the brains of dogs and found that they process words and intonation the same way humans do. Staff Author: Lauren ScrudatoTopics: Q&A
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Can Some Types of Fat Protect Us from Brain Disease?
NewsAn intriguing finding in nematode worms suggests that having a little bit of extra fat may help reduce the risk of developing some neurodegenerative diseases, such as Huntington's, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. Contributed Author: University of California, BerkeleyTopics: Disease Research
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Turbopump Features Compact Design
Product AnnouncementPfeiffer’s HiPace 300 H Turbopump was made for applications in research, analytics and industry that require reliable, high or ultra-high vacuums.Contributed Author: Pfeiffer VacuumTopics: New Products
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Nutrient Pollution is Changing Sounds in the Sea
NewsNutrient pollution emptying into seas from cities, towns and agricultural land is changing the sounds made by marine life â€" and potentially upsetting navigational cues for fish and other sea creatures.Contributed Author: University of AdelaideTopics: Ethology
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How That 'Old Book Smell' Could Save Priceless Artifacts
VideosOdor-detecting devices like Breathalyzers have been used for years to determine blood-alcohol levels in drunk drivers. Now, researchers are using a similar method to sniff out the rate of decay in historic art and artifacts. Contributed Author: American Chemical SocietyTopics: Chemistry
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Cell Culture Workstations Enable Research Progression
Product AnnouncementBaker Ruskinn’s InvivO2 range of physiological cell culture workstations ensure that users can study the most complex cell interactions under precise physiological oxygen conditions.
Contributed Author: Baker RuskinnTopics: New Products
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Team of Robots Learns to Work Together Without Colliding
NewsWhen roboticists create behaviors for teams of robots, they first build algorithms that focus on the intended task. Then they wrap safety behaviors around those primary algorithms to keep the machines from running into each other. Contributed Author: Georgia Institute of
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Molecular Link Behind Aspirin’s Protective Powers Discovered
NewsAspirin’s ability to reduce the risk of both cardiovascular disease and colon cancer has been a welcome, yet puzzling, attribute of the pain reliever that has been a mainstay in medicine cabinets for more than 100 years. Contributed Author: Duke HealthTopics: Pharma
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Osmometer Automates Testing
Product AnnouncementThe OsmoPRO multi sample osmometer from Advanced Instruments is designed specifically to address the changing needs of today’s busy laboratories.Contributed Author: Advanced Instruments, Inc. Topics: New Products
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Alcohol Dependence Reversed in Animal Models
NewsThere may be a way to switch off the urge for compulsive drinking, according to a new study in animal models led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute.Contributed Author: Scripps Research InstituteTopics: Biology
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Twin Study Helps Unravel Genetic Blueprint of Human Brain
NewsUNSW Australia researchers have carried out a landmark twin study looking at genetic influences on key structures of the brain in people older than 65 years of age.Contributed Author: University of New South WalesTopics: Biology
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Evidence of Zika Virus Found in Tears
NewsResearchers have found that Zika virus can live in eyes and have identified genetic material from the virus in tears, according to a new study.Contributed Author: Washington University in St. LouisTopics: Disease Research
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How Fungi Help Trees Tolerate Drought
NewsThe mutualistic relationship between tree roots and ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi has been shaping forest ecosystems since their inception. Contributed Author: Lawrence Berkeley National
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Shell Finds Massive Pocket of Natural Gas in Western Egypt
NewsRoyal Dutch Shell has discovered a big pocket of natural gas in the western deserts of Egypt. The fuel source deep under the concession area of north Alam El-Shawish is estimated to contain about 500 billion cubic feet of gas or more.
Staff Author: Seth
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Fruit Flies Yield Clues on Cancerous Tumor Hotspots
NewsA research team has found that the epithelial tissues that line the surfaces of organs throughout the body intrinsically have hot spots for cancerous tumors.Contributed Author: Florida State UniversityTopics: Cancer Research
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Toxic Air Pollution Nanoparticles Discovered in Human Brain
NewsTiny magnetic particles from air pollution have for the first time been discovered to be lodged in human brainsâ€" and researchers think they could be a possible cause of Alzheimer's disease. Contributed Author: Lancaster UniversityTopics: Wellness
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NFL Players’ Careers Most Affected by Injuries to Knees, Achilles
NewsAnalyzing data, researchers published a study that finds players who undergo surgical procedures for tendon injuries experience a worse career trajectory than players who have surgery to fix fractures and sports hernia.Contributed Author: Northwestern UniversityTopics: Sports Science
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Experts Warn of Effects of Booming Seaweed Industry
NewsA rising number of valuable uses being found for seaweed is driving the rapid growth of an industry that could easily and needlessly drop into some of the same pitfalls previously experienced in both agriculture and fish farming.Contributed Author: United Nations UniversityTopics: Food/Bev
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ED-XRF Handles Samples of Various Sizes
Product AnnouncementSPECTRO Analytical Instruments’ SPECTRO MIDEX small-spot energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF) analyzers are designed for faster and more accurate elemental analysis of precious metals.
Contributed Author: SPECTRO Analytical InstrumentsTopics: New Products
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White House Report Blasts Some Forensic Disciplines
NewsA White House panel of experts, including federal judges, are recommending that some forensic disciplines be thrown out of courtrooms, while some others need further scientific validation.Staff Author: Seth AugensteinTopics: Chemistry
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Study: Typhoons That Slam Asia Getting Much Stronger
NewsTyphoons that slam into land in the northwestern Pacific â€" especially the biggest tropical cyclones of the bunch â€" have gotten considerably stronger since the 1970s, a new study concludes.Contributed Author: Seth Borenstein, Associated PressTopics: Climate Change
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Laughs from Lab: September 6, 2016
NewsThe editors of Laboratory Equipment want you to start your week off with a smile. So, here's a science joke you might like: Why does a burger have less energy than a steak?Staff Author: Michelle TaylorTopics: Laughs from Lab
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Versatile Benchtop Spectrometer Ideal for QC Applications
Product AnnouncementHORIBA Scientific’s MacroRAM Raman benchtop spectrometer brings simplicity to Raman measurements without compromising the ability to handle complex samples.Contributed Author: HORIBA ScientificTopics: New Products
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Study: Electric Fans May Exacerbate Heat Issues for Seniors
NewsUsing electric fans to relieve high levels of heat and humidity may have the opposite effect for seniors, a new study says, although authors caution the small sample size. Contributed Author: UT Southwestern Medical CenterTopics: Wellness
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‘Extremophile Bacteria’ Will Eat Away Wreck of the Titanic by 2030
NewsA newly discovered “extremophile bacteria†will eat away the remains of the Titanic by 2030, says a new study. Halomonas titanicae can produce an osmolyte called ectoine to regulate salinity â€" and to improve beneficial hydrogen bonds with surrounding water.Staff Author: Seth
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Teen Could Help Pick Next Mars Landing Site
NewsA teenager from North Carolina could help pick the landing site of the next Mars rover. Alex Longo, now 16, originally sent in a proposal in 2014 to help pick a landing site for the Mars 2020 rover.
Staff Author: Seth AugensteinTopics: Space
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Engineers Develop Plastic Clothing Material that Cools the Skin
NewsStanford engineers have developed a low-cost, plastic-based textile that, if woven into clothing, could cool your body far more efficiently than is possible with the natural or synthetic fabrics in clothes we wear today.
Contributed Author: Stanford
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Controlling Pest Populations with Modified Males
NewsPopulations of New World screwworm flies - devastating parasitic livestock pests in Western Hemisphere tropical regions - could be greatly suppressed with the introduction of male flies that produce only males when they mate.Contributed Author: North Carolina State
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Study Links Autism to Changes in Micro-RNAs
NewsScientists at UCLA have found that the brains of people with autism spectrum disorders show distinctive changes in the levels of tiny regulator molecules known as microRNAs, which control the activities of large gene networks. Contributed Author: University of California, Los AngelesTopics: Biology
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New Math Captures Fluids in Unprecedented Detail
NewsBubbles in a glass of champagne, thin films rupturing into tiny droplets and crashing ocean wavesâ€"scientists mathematically model these and other phenomena by solving the same series of equations.Contributed Author: Department of Energy, Office of ScienceTopics: STEM
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Ceres: The Tiny World Where Volcanoes Erupt Ice
NewsAhuna Mons is a volcano that rises 13,000 feet high and spreads 11 miles wide at its base. This would be impressive for a volcano on Earth. But Ahuna Mons stands on Ceres, a dwarf planet less than 600 miles wide that orbits the Sun between Mars and Jupiter.Contributed Author: Arizona State UniversityTopics: Space
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Can Epigenetics Transmit Horrors of Genocide to Future Generations?
NewsStories of horror and death have been passed down through some groups in human history, lessons learned from times of famine, warfare and genocide. But those are just spoken words â€" does the actual trauma of massive events get physically inherited by future generations?Staff Author: Seth AugensteinTopics: Biology
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A Strange Thing Happened in the Stratosphere
NewsThis disruption to the wind pattern - called the "quasi-biennial oscillation" - did not have any immediate impact on weather or climate as we experience it on Earth's surface. But it does raise interesting questions for the NASA scientists who observed it.Contributed Author: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterTopics: Space
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Robot Larvae Deployed at Sea
NewsThese robots mimic clouds of microscopic marine larvae, such as baby crabs, mussels, clams and rockfish. The data the bots bring back provide some of the first direct confirmation of a decades-old and surprisingly contentious scientific mystery.Contributed Author: UC DavisTopics: Ethology
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Testing Systems Integrate Advanced Automation
Product AnnouncementInstrumentation Laboratory has debuted its ACL TOP Family 50 Series Testing Systems with advanced automation for routine and specialty testing.Contributed Author: Instrumentation LaboratoryTopics: New Products
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Scientists ID New System in Tomato's Defense Against Disease
NewsResearchers have discovered a new mechanism in the continual arms race between plants and pathogenic bacteria, which tomatoes use to detect the causal agent of bacterial speck disease.Contributed Author: Boyce Thompson Institute Topics: Biotechnology
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Voice Coil Actuators Now Available in Mini Sizes
Product AnnouncementMiniature versions of both moving coil and moving magnet voice coil actuators from H2W Technologies are now available.Contributed Author: H2W Technologies, Inc.Topics: New Products
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Q&A: J. David Rogers and Extreme Weather Patterns
NewsLaboratory Equipment's scientist of the week is J. David Rogers, of Missouri University of Science and Technology. Rogers explained the weather events that caused massive flooding in Louisiana recently.Staff Author: Lauren ScrudatoTopics: Q&A
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Water System Utilizes Innovative Technology
Product AnnouncementThe Phoenix ultra-high purity line of laboratory water systems from Aries FilterWorks feature a compact design.Contributed Author: Aries FilterWorksTopics: New Products
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Glassware Meets High-quality Demands
Product AnnouncementBrandTech’s new line of BLAUBRAND class A, USP certified glassware includes clear and amber volumetric flasks, graduated cylinders, bulb pipettes and volumetric pipettes.Contributed Products
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Glove Dispenser Equipped with Waste Bins
Product AnnouncementTerra’s BioSafe Glove Dispenser comes with waste bins to keep gowning rooms tidy and space-efficient.Contributed Author: Terra Universal, Inc.Topics: New Products
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Explosion at SpaceX Launch Pad Destroys Rocket, Satellite
NewsA massive explosion erupted Thursday at SpaceX's main launch pad, destroying a rocket as well as a satellite that Facebook was counting on to spread internet service in Africa.
Contributed Author: Marcia Dunn, Associated PressTopics: Space
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California Moves to Add Methane Limits to Climate Agenda
NewsCalifornia Democrats are taking further steps to advance the state's ambitious climate-change agenda, agreeing to regulate methane emissions from landfills and dairy farms for the first time and approving $900 million in spending on environmental programs.Contributed Author: Associated Press, Jonathan CooperTopics: Climate Change
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Parents' Math Skills 'Rub Off' on their Children
NewsParents who excel at math produce children who excel at math. This is according to a recently released study that shows a distinct transfer of math skills from parent to child.Contributed Author: University of PittsburghTopics: Biology
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Threat of Group Extinction Proves a Powerful Motivator
VideosCharles Darwin was right: groups enjoy an advantage whose members are "ready to aid one another and to sacrifice themselves for the common good," according to a new study.Contributed Author: Rice UniversityTopics: Ethology
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Scientists Find 3.7 Billion-year-old Fossil, Oldest Yet
NewsScientists have found what they think is the oldest fossil on Earth, a remnant of life from 3.7 billion years ago when Earth's skies were orange and its oceans green.Contributed Author: Seth Borenstein, Associated PressTopics: Archaeology
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Scientists Unearth Centuries-old Crocodile Stone
NewsIn the 1960s, a team of excavators uncovered the ruins of the ancient city of Lambityeco (AD 500-850), in what is now Tlacolula de Matamoros, Oaxaca, Mexico. In a recent return to the site, the discovery of a carved stone crocodile by archaeologists has provided a key to revising long-held ideas about the site.Contributed Author: Field MuseumTopics: Archaeology
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Team Tricks Solid into Acting as Liquid
NewsTwo scientists have discovered how to get a solid material to act like a liquid without actually turning it into liquid, potentially opening a new world of possibilities for the electronic, optics and computing industries.Contributed Author: University of Central FloridaTopics: Chemistry
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Smarter Brains are Blood-thirsty Brains
NewsA University of Adelaide-led project has overturned the theory that the evolution of human intelligence was simply related to the size of the brain -- but rather linked more closely to the supply of blood to the brain.Contributed Author: University of AdelaideTopics: Biology
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For Dogs, Both What We Say, How We Say It Matters
NewsA group of researchers set out to reveal what is actually going on inside the mind of man’s best friend. After months of training, the team successfully imaged the brains of 13 dogs using an fMRI scanner to see how their brains responded to both words and intonation from familiar humans.
Staff Author: Lauren ScrudatoTopics: Ethology
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Shark Fins, Meat Contain High Levels of Neurotoxins Linked to Alzheimer's
NewsIn a new study, scientists found high concentrations of toxins linked to neurodegenerative diseases in the fins and muscles of 10 species of sharks. The research team suggests that restricting consumption of sharks can have positive health benefits.Contributed Author: University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric ScienceTopics: Wellness
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Reducing Runoff Pollution by Making Spray Droplets Less 'Bouncy'
NewsWhen farmers spray their fields with pesticides or other treatments, only two percent of the spray sticks to the plants. A significant portion bounces right off the plants, lands on the ground and becomes part of the runoff that flows to streams and rivers.Contributed
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