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Americans Who Have Stereotypical Ideas About Race And Violence Are More Likely to Own Guns

These results held true even after controlling for conservative politics, being from the South and harboring anti-government sentiments and other factors

African elephants in Kruger National Park

Elephants Never Forget When You Slaughter Their Family

Culling an elephant pack can destroy the survivors’ social skills

Thanksgiving Day Shopping Could Overtake Black Friday in Five Years

Whether non-virtual stores will succeed in drawing shoppers away from their turkey dinners and post-stuffing stupor, however, remains to be seen

Karl Marx Is the World’s Most Influential Scholar

When compared on equal footing, Marx stands out above the crowd

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What Is a Species? Insight From Dolphins and Humans

More than 70 definitions exist for what makes a species—each is applied to a different group of organisms & uses different methods for determining a label

This Blowtorch Creates a Flame Using Water

Researchers say the SafeFlame is gentler, cleaner and only leaves behind water

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This Robot Always Wins Rock-Paper-Scissors

To do this, the Japanese robot takes advantage of humans comparatively slow visual processing time

Comrades now, veterans in gray and blue shake hands at the 1913 Gettysburg reunion, much of the old animosity healed after a half century of peace.

The Last Civil War Veterans Who Lived to Be Over 100… Or Did They?

As America prepared to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Civil War, two centenarians told their tales — only one was telling the truth

Snakes’ Vision Sharpens When They’re Under Stress

This likely allows them to optimize their vision for situations that require the most attention to detail, and in the meantime save that visual energy

“The Simpsons” Has Been Secretly Teaching Its Fans Complicated Math

Several writers for The Simpsons completed degrees in math and physics before they turned to screen writing for the beloved cartoon

Okeanos: A Performance Where Dancers Move Like Octopuses and Seahorses

Jodi Lomask, director of the dance company Capacitor, has choreographed an ocean-inspired show, now at San Francisco’s Aquarium of the Bay

Google Wants to Enable the Amateur Etymologist in All of Us

A quick Google will now give you the history of your word

Lady Gaga and a gametophyte of one of the fern species named after her.

Why Do We Keep Naming New Species After Characters in Pop Culture?

Why are ferns named after Lady Gaga and microbes named after sci-fi monsters?

A Rare Pliosaur Bone Sat in a British Shed for 16 Years

Mysteriously, as far as experts know, pliosaurs only lived in waters around Africa, Australia and China, not Great Britain

A portrait of Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot and her granddaughter

The Widow Who Created the Champagne Industry

Love champagne? Thank a French widow

Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup in “12 Years a Slave”

The Director of the African-American History and Culture Museum on What Makes “12 Years a Slave” a Powerful Film

Lonnie Bunch offers his response to the stunning movie, a favorite for the Best Picture Oscar

Move Over Panda Cam, It’s Time for the Polar Bear Migration

In November, polar bears will be carrying on their annual migration, taking them right past the northerly Canadian town of Churchill

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This Year’s Best Photographs Taken Through the Lens of a Microscope

Who knew a turtle’s retina could be so beautiful?

A Romanian Scientist Claims to Have Developed Artificial Blood

A true blood substitute can be a major breakthrough that can save lives. Testing out a batch, however, can be a problem

A new analysis indicates that 22% of Sun-like stars harbor planets roughly the size of Earth in their habitable zones.

There Are Probably Way More Earth-Like Exoplanets Than We Imagined

A new analysis indicates that 22 percent of Sun-like stars may harbor planets roughly the size of Earth in their habitable zones

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