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BrainWhen every face is a stranger’s face
Some people can’t recognize faces — any faces, even their mother’s. Scientists are working to understand this ‘face blindness’ and help those who suffer from it.
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Health & MedicineNews Brief: Group dancing helps teens bond
Coordinated dance routines help teens bond with one another, new data show. Group dancing also offers other benefits, including a higher threshold for pain.
By Janet Raloff -
AnimalsGene editing creates buff beagles
Scientists showed that a potentially useful new gene-editing tool can work in dogs. It created a pair of adorable, muscular puppies. But the goal is to use it for other research purposes.
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EcosystemsTwo SNS writers win big
Here’s a Cool Job: writing about science. Two people who regularly do that for SNS have just picked up awards for stories on the physics of lightning and how nature recycles the dead to feed the living.
By Janet Raloff -
PhysicsExplainer: Locating a gun with sound waves
Recording the sound of a gun from three microphones can help scientists pinpoint the weapon’s location.
By Ron Cowen -
PhysicsBoom! Sounding out the enemy
Armistice Day marked the end of the Great War. But what arguably won the war was acoustics — the science of sound. It allowed Allied troops to home in on and rout the enemy.
By Ron Cowen -
ChemistryExplainer: Temperature and electrical resistance
Higher temperatures mean more energy and more motion. In contrast, cold means slow moving molecules.
By Ron Cowen -
BrainScientists discover itch-busting cells
A study in mice finds the body has a special way of dealing with an itch that’s caused by a light touch. The results could lead to treatments for chronic itch.
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BrainScientists Say: Neurotransmitters
When brain cells need to communicate, they use chemicals as messengers. These molecules have a special name.
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EarthPlastic trash travels up to Arctic waters
Bags, fishing rope and other tiny bits of plastic are now polluting Arctic waters, posing threats to area wildlife.
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Health & MedicineLight can control waves in heart tissue
Researchers have used light to trigger and control electrical waves in the heart. The technique might one day provide new ways to treat heart disease.
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Health & MedicineSome air pollutants seep through skin
The skin is the body’s largest organ. And it can let in as much or more of certain air pollutants than enter through the lungs, a new study finds.
By Janet Raloff