What a Phosphine Signal in a Brown Dwarf’s Clouds Means for the Search for Life

The detection of the molecule phosphine in a brown dwarf’s atmosphere may help astronomers in their search for life elsewhere in the Milky Way.

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Costly and Deadly Wildfires Really Are on the Rise, New Research Finds

The past decade in particular has seen an uptick in devastating blazes linked to climate change, according to the study.

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In Yellowstone, Migratory Bison Reawaken a Landscape

A recent study hints at the potential benefits of restoring bison to an ecosystem.

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Scientists are Learning to Rewrite the Code of Life

In a giant feat of genetic engineering, scientists have created bacteria that make proteins in a radically different way than all natural species do.

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Science Retracts ‘Arsenic Life’ Paper 15 Years After Publication

Science, a top research journal, said there was no evidence of misconduct by researchers whose finding attracted heavy attention and scrutiny in social media’s early days.

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Banning Plastic Bags Works to Limit Shoreline Litter, Study Finds

Using crowdsourced data from shore cleanups, researchers found that areas that enacted plastic bag bans or fees had fewer bags littering their lakes, rivers and beaches than those without them.

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Soaring Temperatures Threaten Crops, So Scientists Are Looking to Alter the Plants

Genetically altering crops may be key to helping them adapt to extreme temperatures. But shrinking funds and social acceptance stand in the way.

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There’s an Effective Way to Deter Rhino Poachers, a New Study Finds

Poaching rates dropped by more than half in African reserves where veterinarians removed the animals’ horns, which are in high demand in some parts of Asia.

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Some Glaciers Will Vanish No Matter What, Study Finds

Glacial ice will melt for centuries even if global temperatures stop rising now, according to new research.

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Neutrinos Are Shrinking, and That’s a Good Thing for Physics

A new estimate of the ghostly particle’s maximum possible mass brings physicists a tad closer to understanding the universe.

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