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Star Birth Illustrated
Roughly 100,000 years from now, a budding star-formation region known as W3 might become as bright as the Orion nebula is today. This artist's illustration depicts W3 as it might look in that future era. (D. Aguilar/Harvard-Smithsonian )
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A new computer model predicts that the next solar-activity cycle won't begin until late 2008, a year later than the sun's standard cycle would forecast.
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Got Data? Consuming calcium, dairy doesn't keep off weight
Dairy products and other calcium-containing foods don't prevent weight gain, according to a 12-year study of middle-aged men.
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Polynesian Latecomers: Easter Islanders took fast track to culture
New radiocarbon dates from Easter Island indicate that the isolated Polynesian island was first colonized around A.D. 1200, up to 800 years later than had previously been thought.
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Meddling with Metal: Novel nanocontrol yields chromium rival
A new, nontoxic alloy that might reduce use of toxic chromium springs from a novel way to manipulate crystalline metal structures via precise control of their atomic composition.
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Crater in the sand
Researchers analyzing satellite images of the Sahara Desert have discovered the region's largest impact crater.
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A vaccine that triggers immunity against two common bacteria can prevent many ear infections in babies.
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Fit Moms, Brainier Babies: Exercising mothers provide neurological benefits
Offspring of mice that jogged each day during pregnancy may have a mental advantage over pups of sedentary moms.
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Vesuvius' Shadow: A major volcanic blast could threaten Naples
When Italy's Mount Vesuvius begins to rumble again, nearby Naples may be in danger.
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Mathematicians nail down when it's possible to express numbers as the sums of squares.
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Peeling Back Orion's Layers
By studying the most detailed portrait ever assembled of the Orion nebula, astronomers hope to glean new insights about star birth throughout the galaxy.
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Indigestion drug makes headway
An experimental drug relieves symptoms of a form of chronic indigestion called functional dyspepsia better than a placebo does.
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Pluto's posse
Images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope on Feb. 15 confirm that Pluto has two small, previously unknown moons.
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A link between emotional stress and heart attacks
In some people with heart disease, a stressful event precipitates changes in blood components and flow that may trigger a heart attack.
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Spore-detecting diving board
Researchers have demonstrated a new way to detect bacteria.
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Thymus twice as nice for mice
Mice have a second thymus, located in the neck.
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Fragment foils Alzheimer's protein
Researchers have synthesized a protein fragment that, in test tubes, disrupts the formation of the fiber networks suspected to cause Alzheimer's disease.
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Low-protein diet boosts treatment
A diet low in protein can improve the effectiveness of drug therapy and reduce the periods of the most debilitating symptoms suffered by Parkinson's disease patients.
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Genes for macular degeneration
Variations in two genes could account for three-quarters of all cases of age-related macular degeneration.
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Letters from the March 11, 2006, issue of Science News
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