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US flags

The American Dream is slipping away faster than we thought

3 September 2018

Anyone is supposed to be able to get ahead in the US - but social mobility is powerfully influenced by your parents' socioeconomic status


Elk in the snow

Elk gamble with their lives in spring to win a mate in autumn

3 September 2018

Elk who shed antlers early have more time to grow a large new pair for the autumn mating season – but early shedding makes them more likely to be eaten by wolves


A drone being controlled in the sky

The US Army is making a laser-powered drone that can fly indefinitely

3 September 2018

Drones use so much power they can only fly in the air for a short period. So the US Army is creating a system to power them in mid-air from lasers on the ground


Europa

Mystery cold spot on Jupiter's moon Europa could be 'almost anything'

3 September 2018

The first full temperature map of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa has revealed one spot that seems colder than anywhere else on the surface - but we have no clue why


Brazil's National Museum on fire

Fire destroys priceless artefacts at Brazil's National Museum

3 September 2018

Brazil's National Museum has been consumed by fire, along with 20 million scientific artefacts


Man with post-it notes

Struggling to multitask? Your brain might have hit full capacity

1 September 2018

When people are trying to do several things at once their brain cells freeze up when yet another task is added to the pile


Printed honey droplets

Watch a printer that uses sound waves and inks made from honey

31 August 2018

Regular inkjet printers only work with watery liquids, but one that uses sound waves can print with almost anything as ink, from honey to metals to human cells


The tracks of Opportunity rover on Mars

NASA has just 45 days to save Opportunity rover after huge Mars storm

31 August 2018

The planet-wide dust storm on Mars that’s stranded the Opportunity rover since June is subsiding, and NASA has given engineers just 45 more days to wake it up


Breast cancer cell

Cancer-tracking AI could save lives by predicting how tumours evolve

31 August 2018

Knowing what a cancer will do next could help doctors treat patients or prolong their lives with pre-emptive treatments


A coral reef

Warming seas kill coral - but some are beginning to resist the heat

31 August 2018

An experiment in 1970 found that coral bleach and die in warming waters. Now a repeat of the experiment suggests some corals are adapting to rising temperatures


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