From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

  1. Brain

    The scent of a woman — or a man

    Animals unwittingly signal things about themselves by giving off subtle scents. A new study claims the same is true for people.

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  2. Animals

    Move over cheetah: Mite sets new speed record

    A super-speedy species sprints faster than any other land animal — for its size, a new study finds. Scientists may someday tap this tiny mite’s technique to create robots and other devices that zip around at sensational speeds!

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  3. Health & Medicine

    Infected cutting boards

    Germs can hitchhike into the kitchen on meat and many types of produce. A new study finds that some of those germs are particularly nasty. They are immune to the one or more of the drugs doctors would prescribe to wipe out the infection.

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  4. Brain

    Ghosts in your head

    Many people see, feel and hear things that aren’t really there — despite how much their brain tries to convince them otherwise.

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  5. Animals

    One plus to wearing stripes

    A zebra’s black-and-white coat doesn’t offer cooling or camouflage, researchers find. Instead, its stripes appear to keep away biting flies — and deadly diseases.

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  6. Brain

    Loneliness can breed disease

    Everyone experiences loneliness from time to time. But when allowed to persist, loneliness can damage your health and steal years from your life.

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  7. Chemistry

    Urine may make Mars travel possible

    On Earth, urine is a waste. En route to Mars, it could be a precious renewable commodity: the source of drinking water and energy.

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  8. Animals

    When a species can’t stand the heat

    When temperatures rise, New Zealand’s tuatara produce more males. With global warming, that could leave the ancient reptile species with too few females to avoid going extinct.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    The nose knows a trillion scents

    There's a long-standing claim that people can identify 10,000 different odors. But a new study suggests that people can actually identify at least 10,000 times that many scents.

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  10. Brain

    Understanding Autism

    Genetics appears to play some role in this disorder, which affects more than one percent of all Americans.

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  11. Brain

    Getting a head start on autism

    Early diagnosis followed by early treatment may reduce autism’s impact on kids — and help them to communicate better.

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  12. Animals

    Kangaroos have ‘green’ farts

    The farts and belches of these animals contain less methane than do those from other big grass grazers. Microbes in their digestive tract appear to explain the ‘roos lower production of this greenhouse gas, a new study finds.

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