Hints of Life on Exoplanet K2-18b Recede Even Further

New observations fail to confirm signs of life in the atmosphere of the distant planet K2-18b. They also raise questions about what it will take to detect biology light-years away.

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A 37,000-Year Chronicle of What Once Ailed Us

In a new genetic study, scientists have charted the rise of 214 human diseases across ancient Europe and Asia.

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Shining a Light on the World of Microproteins

From viruses to humans, life makes microproteins that have evaded discovery until now.

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There’s Probably No Life on K2-18b After All, Three Studies Conclude

In April, astronomers said they had detected a possible signature of life on the exoplanet K2-18b. Now, three independent analyses discount the evidence.

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Genetic Study Retraces Covid’s Origins in Bats

As China and the United States trade charges of a lab leak, researchers contend in a new paper that the Covid pandemic got its start, like a previous one, in the wildlife trade.

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Two Theories of Consciousness Faced Off. The Ref Took a Beating.

What makes humans conscious? Scientists disagree, strongly, as one group of peacemakers discovered the hard way.

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Could the Bird Flu Become Airborne?

Scientists were slow to recognize that Covid spreads through the air. Some are now trying to get ahead of the bird flu.

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Could the Bird Flu Become Airborne?

Scientists were slow to recognize that Covid spreads through the air. Some are now trying to get ahead of the bird flu.

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Life’s Building Blocks Lurked Inside NASA’s Bennu Asteroid Samples

Scientists studying samples that NASA collected from the asteroid Bennu found a wide assortment of organic molecules that shed light on how life arose.

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Human Thought Is Far Slower Than Your Internet Connection

A new study is “a bit of a counterweight to the endless hyperbole about how incredibly complex and powerful the human brain is,” one researcher said.

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