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June 2012 Archives

Forget Movie Critics, Mindless Internet Chatter Predicts Blockbusters and Bombs

Method for predicting box office success developed by Japanese physicists

ScienceShot: These Bears Count

Ability matches that seen in monkeys

Fuel Cell Runs on Brain Power

Implantable device draws energy from cerebrospinal fluid

ScienceShot: Marked for Death

A dominant male ant targets challengers—even before they hatch

Podcast: The Bonobo Genome, Our Aging DNA, and Puma Leftovers

An audio roundup of some of our favorite stories of the week

Did Neandertals Paint Early Cave Art?

New dating technique sparks questions about how artistic talent evolved in prehistoric Europe

What Did the Amazon Look Like Before European Contact?

New findings stir debate in archaeological circles

ScienceShot: Cosmic Collision Is Just a Trick of the Eye

Hubble captures two galaxies that appear to have slammed into each other

A Three-Way Partnership at the Bottom of the Sea

Bivalves, bacteria, and seagrass help each other thrive in underwater meadows

A Rising Tide of Acid Off California

Spiking carbon dioxide levels threaten West Coast ocean ecosystems
14 June 2012 | Magazine Preview

Microbial Survey of Human Body Reveals Extensive Variation

Investigators describe more than a dozen microscopic communities on and within us

ScienceShot: Go in Fear, Grasshopper

Insects that die scared have an unusual impact on their ecosystem

Brown Dwarfs Being Gobbled Up by Parent Stars

Paucity of "failed stars" foreshadows fates of Mercury and Venus

ScienceShot: Spit It Out!

Disgusting seeds of Middle Eastern plant use rodents to their advantage

Revenge of the Vampire Bats

Killing bats does not reduce the rate of rabies and could even make it worse

Video: Drip, Drip, Snatch!

When rain falls, insects plummet into the acid bath of pitcher plants

ScienceShot: Alien Earths Have Been Around for a While

Habitable planets may have formed billions of years before ours did

Revealing Colon Cancer's Escape Route

Resistance mutations inevitably crop up within months of treatment

Bonobos Join Chimps as Closest Human Relatives

Genome sequence reveals tantalizing clues to differences in behavior and intelligence between three species

ScienceShot: A Dusty Starburst Near the Edge of the Universe

A mysterious galaxy, invisible to Hubble, is a lot farther away than astronomers had thought

Live Chat: The Science of Fatherhood

Talk to experts about what the latest research says on the origins and biology of being a dad

Pumas Leave Table Scraps

Discarded carrion nourishes threatened condors, other scavengers

ScienceShot: Eunuch Spiders Are Better Fighters

Arachnids become more efficient by jettisoning their sperm-carrying organs

Video: Solid Bones, Sexy Songs

The unusual wing bones of the club-winged manakin allow the bird to produce its signature love song

ScienceShot: Underground Rain Gauge?

Surface features on stalactites may help scientists estimate ancient precipitation

ScienceShot: Hydrogen 'Bridge' Connects Two Galaxies

Close encounter forges quintillion-kilometer-long bond

Putting the Brakes on the Immune System

Researchers discover powerful but short-lived cells that rein in immune attacks

ScienceShot: Pummeling the Red Planet

New analysis reveals at least 635,000 craters on Mars

Aging Is Recorded in Our Genes

As we grow older, we lose DNA modifications that can protect against cancer and other diseases

ScienceShot: Avalanche Warning?

Voltage spikes may precede catastrophic structural failures

ScienceShot: Cannibalism Seen in Gray Mouse Lemur

Tiny primate shatters belief about our closest relatives

Podcast: Killer Raindrops, Solo Black Holes, and Reading Your Child's Medical Future

Listen to a roundup of some of our favorite stories from the week

ScienceShot: Robot Fish Fools Its Companions

Zebrafish prefer to hang out with machine rather than sit in tank alone

Life Blooms Under Arctic Ice

Researchers discover green blooms of phytoplankton more than a meter below the surface

Mantis Shrimp Smash!

Unique structure allows crustaceans to keep pummeling their prey without damage to themselves
7 June 2012 | Magazine Preview

From Soldiers to Veterans, Good Health to Bad

The U.S. military has kept tabs on soldiers' environmental exposures and mental problems

Video: Cockroaches and Geckos 'Vanish' With Amazing Acrobatics

Both animals pull serious Gs to avoid predators

Pluto's Moons Offer Hints of Alien Worlds

Distant satellites may reveal orbits of planets circling double stars

ScienceShot: Unraveling the Mystery of Self-Planting Seeds

A simple model shows how seeds can drill themselves into the ground

Sequencing the Unborn

Researchers predict the genome of a child without invasive screening
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