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New Research

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Raccoons Are Getting Brain Cancer From a Previously Unknown Virus

A new cancer-causing virus is affecting U.S. raccoons

A gonorrhea culture

Gonorrhea Mutates Into Treatment-Resistant Superbug

The world may be at the brink of an epidemic of drug-resistent gonorrhea, though simply using condoms could save the day

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Therapeutic Poop Goes Synthetic

The synthetic feces is less icky than the natural variety and is a “super probiotic,” aptly named RePOOPulate

Give your future and your coin to Anubis, and you’ll be spared the rigors of hard labor.

In Ancient Egypt, People Paid to Become Temple Servants

Rather than face forced labor, some ancient Egyptians gave up their futures and their coin to become temple servants

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There Goes the Ecosystem: Alien Animals Invade Antarctica

Humanity is well on its way to screwing up Antarctic and the Southern Ocean in addition to the warmer corners of the world

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You Can’t Throw a Rock in the Milky Way Without Hitting an Earth-Like Planet

A new estimate says there are 17 billion Earth-like planets in the Milky Way

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Physicists Find That “Absolute Zero” May Not Be Quite So Absolute

Using lasers and magnets, a group of physicists pushed potassium atoms to a state colder than absolute zero

Here’s How to Get Attention for Your Research About Hookworms

This research may have a silly title, but it does answer an important question of global significance

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Babies Start Learning Language in the Womb

Rosetta Stone language tapes for babies may soon usurp Beethoven as the womb soundtrack of choice

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Old Christmas Trees Can Be Used to Clean Medical Equipment

Someday those pesky fallen needles may help save lives—or at least sterilize needles for annual flu shots

Mild Obesity May Not Be So Bad

A recent study finds that overweight or slightly obese people live longer than normal-weight people, but critics call foul on some of these conclusions

An artist’s conception of what an asteroid-catcher might look like.

NASA Wants to Drag an Asteroid Into Orbit Around the Moon

If going to an asteroid is hard, maybe bringing an asteroid to us is easier?

This box turtle is very disappointed in your flagrant disregard for turtlekind.

It’s Not Safe for Turtles to Cross the Road, Humans Make Sure of That

Some motorists go out of their way to hit turtles that are trying to cross the road

Just Before Sealing the Deal, Male Peacocks Announce to All Other Ladies ‘We’re About to Do It’

Called a “hoot-dash” display, scientists puzzle over the purpose of this seemingly braggadocios bellow

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One Spider Genus Has Species Named for Star Wars Monsters, U2, Cesar Chavez and Obama

The discovery of 33 new trapdoor spider species in the U.S. Southwest kicked off a celebrity species-naming throw down

Key to Getting Holiday Shopping Right, Science Says, Is to Trust Your Gut

Skip the holiday season melt downs by not over-thinking gifts for family or close friends, researchers advise

New research suggests that most Arctic mammals may actually benefit from climate change. Arctic specialists like the Arctic fox, however, may not do quite so well.

Most Arctic Animals Should Deal With Climate Change Just Fine

New research suggests that most Arctic mammals will actually be helped, not hurt, by climate change

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With Commercial Spaceflight Just Around the Corner, Are You Healthy Enough to Fly?

The price of a ride to space is dropping, but is your body ready?

Instead of Dieting After the Holidays, Take the Bus

Driving just 1 mile less per day is more effective at reducing weight than cutting back on 100 calories per day

Fluorescence images of uncompressed (left) and compressed (right) colonies of malignant breast epithelial cells. Compressed colonies are smaller and more organized.

Giving Breast Cells a Little Squeeze Can Stop Cancerous Growth

Good news for breasts: simply giving would-be malignant mammary cells a little squeeze helps guide them back to a normal growth pattern

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