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Feb 06, 2023
When a case of COVID-19 morphs into the mysterious, chronic condition known as long COVID, the specialists, appointments, medications and daily need for family care can overwhelm everyone involved.
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Feb 02, 2023
The illness sends tens of thousands of babies to the hospital each year. If approved, the new injection would be the first broadly available prevention tool.
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Feb 01, 2023
Researchers re-analyzed elephant bones found in a German cave and say Neanderthals likely cut and butchered them, suggesting Neanderthal groups may have been larger and more sedentary than thought.
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Jan 29, 2023
On Jan. 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the "novel coronavirus" sweeping through China to be a global health emergency. Here's how NPR covered the story at that point in time.
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Jan 29, 2023
The World Health Organization issued the statement as the novel coronavirus, calling it an "unprecedented outbreak." Here's what we knew — and didn't know — about the virus at that time.
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Jan 27, 2023
The hormone oxytocin plays a key role in long-term relationships. But a study of prairie voles finds that the animals mate for life even without help from the "love hormone."
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Jan 27, 2023
The hormone oxytocin plays a key role in long-term relationships. But a study of prairie voles finds that the animals mate for life even without help from the "love hormone."
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Jan 27, 2023
Policymakers have long grappled with how to handle experiments that might generate potentially dangerous viruses. Now, officials are considering whether oversight needs to be expanded.
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Jan 27, 2023
Policymakers have long grappled with how to handle experiments that might generate potentially dangerous viruses. Now, officials are considering whether oversight needs to be expanded.
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Jan 26, 2023
On average, half the participants in a study by the University of St. Andrews in Scotland could recognize what either chimpanzees or bonobos were communicating.
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Jan 25, 2023
Mattress review website Sleep Junkie will pay five volunteers $1,000 each to eat cheese snacks before bedtime. A study is looking into whether eating cheese before bed leads to nightmares.
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Jan 19, 2023
Researchers have studied the physics behind heavy stones skipping across the surface of water. They say these findings could be applied to real-world problems like de-icing airplanes.
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Jan 18, 2023
For nearly a century, jazz musicians have debated what gives songs that propulsive, groovy feel that makes you want to move with the music. The secret may lie in subtle nuances in a soloist's timing.
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Jan 17, 2023
Charles Darwin once speculated that all animals may share the ability to perceive melody and rhythm. Although the evidence is slim, there are a few studies that support Darwin's idea.
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Jan 17, 2023
Socially isolated older adults have a 27% higher chance of developing dementia, according to researchers from Johns Hopkins. The findings suggest that simple interventions could be meaningful.
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Jan 12, 2023
MIT Technology Review has released its annual list of breakthrough technologies. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Amy Nordrum, an editor who helped put the list together.
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Jan 12, 2023
Exxon's climate research decades back painted an accurate picture of global warming, according to a new scientific paper. Still the oil company continued climate-denying policy efforts.
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Jan 11, 2023
People who lose track of time aren't rude, researchers say — they may just be listening to their inner timekeeper instead of an external clock. Living according to "event time" has its benefits.
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Jan 10, 2023
The Puerto Rican crested anole has sprouted special scales to better cling to smooth surfaces like walls and windows and grown larger limbs to sprint across open areas, scientists say.
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Jan 08, 2023
A new study out of the Technical University of Munich sheds new light on the "double bounce" in the human gait. NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks to mechanical engineer Daniel Renjewski who led the study.
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Jan 06, 2023
RSV and the flu appear to be receding in the U.S., but COVID is on the rise, new data suggest, driven by holiday gatherings and an even more transmissible omicron subvariant that has become dominant.
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Jan 04, 2023
Climate goals can feel distant. But climate change is a happening right now. Speed up the benefits for taking action, psychologists say, if you want leaders and others to pay attention and act.
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Dec 28, 2022
Public health officials want more Americans to get the latest COVID vaccine booster. Only 35% of people over 65 have gotten the shot, though 75% of COVID deaths are among people in this age group.
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Dec 27, 2022
Psychedelic drugs were a hot topic at this year's Society for Neuroscience meeting. Researchers hope the drugs can help people with disorders like depression and PTSD.
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Dec 26, 2022
A kind of transparent frog achieves near invisibility by hiding its red blood cells during the day, scientists found. "I had never seen anything like that," researcher Carlos Taboada says.
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Dec 26, 2022
Call it "precision waking" — the alleged ability to decide when you want to wake up and then doing so, without an alarm. If you think you can do it, you're not alone, though how is still mysterious.
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Dec 25, 2022
BBC science journalist Richard Gray tells NPR's Daniel Estrin that dinosaurs may not have roared in the manner we commonly imagine.
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Dec 23, 2022
Testing pregnant people's blood to look at free-floating DNA can tell doctors about the health of the fetus. But these tests sometime turn up DNA that might be shed by cancerous cells.
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Dec 22, 2022
After decades of wondering, an NPR reporter finally figures out how her husband's family dog knew when the school bus would arrive everyday. She did some digging — and now it all makes scents.
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Dec 20, 2022
The brain uses special neurons called time cells to organize our memories of events and experiences. But, despite their name, these cells don't work like a clock.
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Dec 17, 2022
We mark our days by sunlight, with special receptors in our eyes that respond to light and help reset our body clocks each day. This man can't see, but is still a circadian wiz. Here's how.
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Dec 15, 2022
The ruling is the latest twist in a long-running dispute over where dozens of federally-supported former research chimps should live out the remainder of their days.
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Dec 13, 2022
Using CRISPR to modify certain immune cells could make cancer-fighting immunotherapy more potent for a broader set of patients. Two people who went through the treatment share their stories.
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Dec 04, 2022
Bats and death metal singers have more in common than a love of the dark. A new study has found that some of bats' lower frequency calls appear to use a technique similar to death metal growling.
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Dec 04, 2022
For decades birth control research focused on women. Now there's a new push to develop gels, pills or other products that could keep men from getting their partners pregnant.
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Dec 02, 2022
This often fatal disease found in many African countries is painful and lengthy to treat. But a single oral dose proved incredibly effective in a clinical trial, raising hopes of eradication.
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Nov 30, 2022
In a large study, the experimental Alzheimer's drug lecanemab reduced the rate of cognitive decline by 27 percent in people in the early stages of the disease.
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Nov 16, 2022
A recent study in the journal Current Biology found that people danced 12% more when very low frequency bass was played.
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Nov 15, 2022
New research shows that a type of primate known as an aye-aye loves picking its nose. Researchers say the findings raise interesting questions about why nose-picking is such a common behavior.
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Nov 11, 2022
Two decades of research in Nouabalé-Ndoki Park in the Republic of Congo found the primates foraging alongside each other, wrestling, seeking out their pals — and occasionally making threats.
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Nov 10, 2022
NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with neuroscientist Daniel Cameron, who found that inaudible, low-frequency bass appears to make people boogie nearly 12% more on the dancefloor.
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Nov 06, 2022
NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks to researcher Hao Li about a new study that shows how the brain ascertains experiences as positive or negative.
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Nov 06, 2022
A new study shows that young bumblebees like to play with toys, mirroring the behavior of young mammals. Bumblebees are also the first insects observed to engage in object play.
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Nov 05, 2022
Scientists wanted to learn whether bees, like humans and other mammals, had any interest in playing for fun's sake. They say they have evidence that bees do, and that could change how we view insects.
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Nov 04, 2022
More than a third of U.S. states now support the idea of making daylight saving time permanent. It's already in effect for about eight months of the year.
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Nov 03, 2022
Some animals like birds and frogs are famous for the sounds they make. But have you ever heard a turtle talk? Most turtles were thought to not make sounds at all — before researchers went deep.
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Nov 01, 2022
Researchers are launching a make-or-break study to test the conventional wisdom about what causes Alzheimer's disease.
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Oct 31, 2022
In a recent small study, the antidepressant effects of ketamine lasted longer when an intravenous dose was followed with computer games featuring smiling faces or words aimed at boosting self-esteem.
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Oct 29, 2022
A study finds that we are happier the more we talk with different categories of people — colleagues, family, strangers — and the more evenly our conversations are spread out among those groups.
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Oct 26, 2022
A new study from a Dutch clinic found that 98% of transgender adolescents who received puberty suppression treatment went on to continue gender-affirming treatment.
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Oct 23, 2022
NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks to Alexandra White of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences about the link between chemical hair straighteners and uterine cancer.
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Oct 22, 2022
Researchers and companies have tried over the years to automate the chore with limited success. Using a brand new method, researchers have taught a robot to fold a record 30-40 garments per hour.
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Oct 21, 2022
More than half of these deaths occur well after the mom leaves the hospital. To save lives, mothers need more support in the "fourth trimester, that time after the baby is born," one researcher says.
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Oct 19, 2022
Researchers have uncovered the first Neanderthals that are related to each other. The finding shows that these ancient people lived in clans similar to those of modern humans.
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Oct 19, 2022
The findings are a concern for Black women, researchers say, who are far more likely to report using straightening products such as relaxers.
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Oct 15, 2022
Astronomers were stunned to find that the black hole was emitting energy, two years after it pulled apart a star that had come too close.
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Oct 14, 2022
A dish of brain cells learned to play the 1970s video game Pong. The research could help computers become more intelligent
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Oct 13, 2022
Colon cancer specialists worry that results of a study published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine could be misconstrued, and keep patients from getting lifesaving cancer screening.
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Oct 12, 2022
Scientists have devised a new model for studying disorders like autism spectrum disorder and ADHD. It uses clusters of human brain cells grown inside the brain of a rat.
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Oct 06, 2022
New research out of the British Antarctic Survey found thousands of underground channels left by ice age glacial melt. The findings could improve the accuracy of modern-day models of sea level rise.
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Oct 05, 2022
Scientists have made a drug based on LSD that seems to fight depression without producing a psychedelic experience.
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Oct 05, 2022
This year's Nobel Prize in chemistry has been awarded in equal parts to Carolyn R. Bertozzi, Morten Meldal and K. Barry Sharpless for developing way of "snapping molecules together."
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Oct 04, 2022
This year's Nobel Prize in physics has been awarded to research on how light and matter act on an atomic scale.
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Oct 03, 2022
This year's Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine has been awarded to Swedish scientist Svante Pääbo for his discoveries on human evolution.
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Sep 20, 2022
Since 2020, office workers have waged an epic battle to work remotely. They're mostly winning.
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Sep 20, 2022
Research finds five to 10 minutes daily of a type of strength training for muscles used in breathing can help anyone reduce or prevent high blood pressure. The training can also help elite athletes.
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Sep 18, 2022
Scientists have found a mineral stronger than diamond. They say lonsdaleite could be used to fortify industrial tools like drill bits and saw blades - AND teach us about the evolution of earth.
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Sep 16, 2022
They argue the threat posed by COVID has lessened because of preexisting immunity and access to treatment. Plus, some deaths may be incorrectly blamed on COVID. Others caution it's too soon to tell.
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Sep 12, 2022
For some people, a rare genetic mutation makes dementia inescapable. Three sisters have decided to confront fate with a genetic test and have joined a research project on possible treatments.
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Sep 10, 2022
Perspiration can be a stinky nuisance as temperatures climb, but scientists say we shouldn't sell sweat short. There's so much more to the briny stuff than meets the eye.
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Sep 07, 2022
The skeleton of a young adult found in a cave in Indonesia that is missing its left foot and part of its left leg reveal the oldest known evidence of an amputation, according to a new study.
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Sep 07, 2022
It's one of two new planets that were recently found about 100 light years from Earth, both of which take just days to orbit their own sun.
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Aug 23, 2022
A team of researchers filmed jumping spiders overnight and observed behaviors that mirror rapid eye movement sleep in other species. It helps that baby jumping spiders have translucent exoskeletons.
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Aug 18, 2022
Some scientists are alarmed that the agency plans to evaluate the next generation of boosters by reviewing mouse studies alone. Others say there's no time to waste waiting for human trials.
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Aug 12, 2022
There's a long history of massive inland flooding in California. New research finds that climate change has already doubled the odds it happens again.
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Aug 08, 2022
Wastewater testing has proved a reliable early alarm bell for COVID-19 outbreaks. U.S. researchers are now adapting the approach to track the explosive spread of monkeypox, and maybe other viruses.
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Aug 08, 2022
The Galápagos land iguana is back on Santiago Island. That's thanks to some help from a team of conservationists.
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Aug 01, 2022
A blockbuster new study reveals a key factor explaining rates of upward mobility.
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Jul 31, 2022
In a move reflective of a viral meme, a new study shows that an ancient fish really did evolve to walk out of the water, only to then go back to the sea.
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Jul 30, 2022
NPR's Scott Simon asks Wharton School management professor Ethan Mollick about research into pandemic predictions and how to make the people around you happy.
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Jul 26, 2022
After an ancient fish developed legs, its newly discovered descendent Qikiqtania wakei went back to swimming in open water.
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Jul 23, 2022
NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Courtney Hilton about his research that centers on how people talk to babies around the world.
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Jul 23, 2022
The features of baby talk — softer tone, higher pitch, almost unintelligible vocabulary — are global. Researchers made over 1,500 recordings in urban, rural and Indigenous communities.
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Jul 14, 2022
A new study refutes the popular idea that a woodpecker's brain is cushioned from the violent impacts of pecking. It offers a different reason the birds avoid brain damage.
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Jul 14, 2022
Birth control pills are available in the U.S. only with a prescription. Now a drugmaker is asking the FDA to approve a progestin-only contraceptive that would be available without one at pharmacies.
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Jul 08, 2022
Botanists have discovered a new giant water lily with lilly pads that can grow to nearly 10 feet wide. Researchers previously thought there were only two species of giant water lillies.
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Jul 07, 2022
A mastodon named Fred, also known as the Buesching mastodon, is a distant relative of the modern elephant. His remains reveal the story of his life and violent end.
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Jul 04, 2022
New research suggests face mites, long considered parasites, might actually be helpful to humans.
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Jul 01, 2022
Whales, seals and other marine mammals need their keen hearing for communication and for finding food. But it's being damaged by a range of constant sounds. Ship engines and oil drilling for example.
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Jun 30, 2022
For centuries, scientists and historians have wondered where the Black Death — the deadliest pandemic in recorded history — came from. New research sheds light on the ancient disease.
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Jun 25, 2022
The testing system set up by the CDC actually deters doctors from ordering a monkeypox test, and many physicians aren't familiar with the disease, resulting in too few tests and little tracking.
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Jun 24, 2022
Climate change has impacted the world's water, air and land masses. But today's news media isn't designed to reinforce public belief, say researchers.
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Jun 23, 2022
A new study from Australia shows that larvae of the darkling beetle can eat polystyrene — the material behind plastic foam.
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Jun 22, 2022
NPR talks to Claire Hannan, who has helped navigate vaccine rollouts in all 50 states, about some of the challenges involved in quickly getting shots out to millions of young kids.
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Jun 16, 2022
Some scientists estimate that cases of long COVID from omicron will still rise, however, because of high transmissibility and the misconception that people don't have to worry about catching it.
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Jun 13, 2022
Despite a high risk of brain injuries, military personnel rarely develop a disabling brain condition often found in former boxers and football players.
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Jun 09, 2022
A team at the University of Pittsburgh is working to connect prosthetic arms and legs with the nervous system to give patients a sense of touch.
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Jun 09, 2022
A team at the University of Pittsburgh is equipping artificial hands and feet with sensors that are linked to a person's own nervous system. Preliminary results, though limited, are promising.
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Jun 06, 2022
An ancient Greek inscription on a marble slab has been sitting in a museum for over 130 years. Researchers have learned it's a list of young men who had graduated from a military training class.
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Jun 06, 2022
Scientists have recorded a song coming from a volcano. They think the musical notes may someday be useful for predicting when a dangerous eruption might occur.
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