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Mammals Evolved for the Night Life
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| Topic: Origin & Evolution of Life |
11/05/12 |
| Summary:
A new study suggests that mammalian eyes evolved for life in the dark. A nocturnal lifestyle may have helped them avoid predation by dinosaurs. |
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An Elephant That Speaks Korean
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| Topic: Origin & Evolution of Life |
11/04/12 |
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An Asian elephant can imitate human speech, speaking five words in Korean that can be understood by Korean speakers. |
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Asteroid Belts of the Right Size are Friendly to Life
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| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
11/04/12 |
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A new study indicates that size and location of a solar system's asteroid belt may determine whether or not complex life will evolve on Earth-like planets in the system. |
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Dust: It Warms and it Cools
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| Topic: Earth |
11/03/12 |
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A new NASA study shows that dust rising above the world's deserts causes a more significant localized warming effect than previously thought. |
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Curiosity's Methane Hunt Comes Up Empty
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| Topic: Mars |
11/03/12 |
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With its initial sniffs of the martian atmosphere, Curiosity has been able to detect little to no methane on Mars. However, the data that the rover has gathered is helping scientists understand how Mars may have lost its original atmosphere. |
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A Young Surface on Vesta
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| Topic: Meteorites, Comets and Asteroids |
11/02/12 |
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New data shows that a form of weathering that occurs on airless bodies like the Moon does not alter the surface of Vesta in the same way. |
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Titan Glows in the Dark
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| Topic: Titan |
11/02/12 |
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Cassini has captured images showing how Titan glows dimly in the dark. Light is emitted when charged particles bang into nitrogen molecules in the moon's dense atmosphere. The data is a glimpse into the processes behind the natural organic chemistry factory that exists on the unique moon. |
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Curiosity's First Soil Results
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| Topic: Mars |
11/01/12 |
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Initial experiments from Curiosity show that the mineralogy of martian soil is similar to weathered volcanic soils in Hawaii. |
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Vision Evolved Only Once in Animals?
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| Topic: Origin & Evolution of Life |
10/31/12 |
| Summary:
A new study provides a detailed picture of how opsins evolved. Opsins are light-sensitive molecules found in photoreceptor cells of the retina. |
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