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Biology

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The Unsettling Beauty of Lethal Pathogens

British artist Luke Jerram’s handblown glass sculptures show the visual complexity and delicacy of E. coli, swine flu, malaria and other killing agents

Wisdom the Albatross with the chick she hatched last year.

At 62, the Oldest Bird in the World Is Still Hatching Chicks

Wisdom the 62 year-old albatross just hatched what is thought to be her 30 to 35th chick

How to Sleep Like Salvador Dali

Dali felt as though sleep was a waste of time (so did Edison, and many other influential people) but science suggests that sleep is pretty important

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Your Playlist Really Does Impact Your Workout

A slow jam won’t get you through that third mile, and smooth jazz isn’t going to kick that kickboxing workout up a notch. It’s not just personal preference either - it’s science

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The Year’s Most Outstanding Science Visualizations

A juried competition honors photographs, illustrations, videos, posters, games and apps that marry art and science in an evocative way

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What Makes Muscles Twitch?

Whether it’s your eyelid twitching, an involuntary shudder, or a muscle elsewhere contracting at random, twitchy muscles happen to everyone. But what are they, and why do they happen?

‘Beatrice the Swabia’ is a baby Coquerel’s sifaka

Lemurs Are the Most Endangered Mammals on the Planet, And This Adorable Baby Is Their Future

The vast majority of lemur species are facing extinction, but this baby Coquerel’s safika is trying to help

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Some Microbes Are So Resilient They Can Ride Hurricanes

By comparison, other lifeforms such as fungal spores and pollen don’t thrive nearly as well as the microbes, the survey found.

Doug E. Fresh (shown above, performing at the Legends of Hip Hop Tour in February 2011) was a beatboxing pioneer in the 1980s.

Beatboxing, as Seen Through Scientific Images

To see how certain sound effects are humanly possible, a team of University of Southern California researchers took MRI scans of a beatboxer in action

A camera passes down through the borehole.

First Signs of Life Found in Antarctica’s Subglacial Lakes

Preliminary tests from subglacial Lake Willard have shown signs of life

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Mona Lisa Travels by Laser, to Space And Back Again

To test the reaches of laser communication, NASA beamed a digital image of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous portrait to a satellite orbiting the moon

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Leave No Dolphin Behind: Dolphin Pod Carries Injured Member Until She Stops Breathing

Watch these dolphins try to save their injured friend

These two are definitely about to transfer cooties

If Cooties Were Real, What Disease Would They Be?

We all know that cooties aren’t real (besides, we’ve all been vaccinated as kids so we’re safe). But if they were real, what disease would cooties be?

Dogs May Have Evolved From the Wolves Who Liked Eating Trash the Most

There may be an evolutionary reason that your dog eats everything, including the trash

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We Can Recognize Our Own Scent

Before this, it wasn’t clear how people would react to their own smell or even whether they could recognize it.

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The Russian Government Once Funded a Scientist’s Quest To Make an Ape-Human Hybrid

In 1926, a famed Russian biologist was “hell-bent” on creating an ape-human hybrid

Mycobacterium leprae, in red.

Leprosy Can Turn Nerve Cells Into Stem Cells

The scourge of biblical times could open up a new way of making stem cells in the lab

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Round Three: Drills vs. Insanely Thick Antarctic Ice. Fight!

The hunt for microbial life in Antarctic subglacial lakes continues. Now it’s the American’s turn

Dyscalculia, Like Dyslexia for Numbers, Could Explain Why You Suck at Math

For some, knowing whether 5 is greater than 2 is a difficult task

Mouse Moms Force Mouse Dads To Care for Their Kids

Female mice have tricks for encouraging the otherwise absentee father of their offspring to care and get involved in child-tending

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