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Stories
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Science
Probe Gets Close To The Sun — Finds Rogue Plasma Waves And Flipping Magnetic Fields
The initial results from an ambitious mission to get a spacecraft close to the Sun are shedding new light on some old mysteries about our closest star.
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Health
'There's No Good Dust': What Happens After Quartz Countertops Leave The Factory
Slabs of engineered quartz are cut to order in thousands of shops around the country that may not adequately protect workers from dangerous levels of the lung-damaging contaminant.
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Health
'It's Going To Get Worse': How U.S. Countertop Workers Started Getting Sick
The story of the first worker in the U.S. to suffer lung damage after cutting a new kind of countertop material shows the way a workplace hazard emerged in this country.
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Science
For These Vampires, A Shared Blood Meal Lets 'Friendship' Take Flight
Common vampire bats might drink the blood of their prey, but it turns out that these fearsome beasts can be warm and fuzzy when it comes to their fellow bats.
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Science
3 Researchers Win Nobel Prize In Chemistry For Work With Lithium-Ion Batteries
Three researchers won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry this year for their work that led to the development of lithium-ion batteries. This wraps up this year's science Nobels. All the winners were men.
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3 Win Chemistry Nobel For Development Of Lithium-Ion Batteries
The prize was awarded jointly to John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino." Lithium-ion batteries have revolutionized our lives," the Nobel Committee said.
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Health
Lawmakers Seek Protections For Workers Against Lung Damage Tied To Making Countertops
In a letter, they urge the Labor Department to ensure safe levels of silica dust at workplaces that cut popular "engineered stone." At least 18 workers have recently suffered severe lung damage.
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Science
A Peculiar Solar System Has Scientists Rethinking Theories Of How Planets Form
A surprisingly large planet orbiting a small star defies the conventional wisdom about how planets are born. But a dark-horse idea from more than 20 years ago could explain it.
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Science
As Made-To-Order DNA Gets Cheaper, Keeping It Out Of The Wrong Hands Gets Harder
Labs are churning out more and more synthetic DNA for scientists who want to use it to reprogram cells. Some say the technology has outpaced government safety guidelines put in place a decade ago.
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Science
North America Has Lost 3 Billion Birds, Scientists Say
Researchers estimate that the bird population has fallen by a quarter since 1970. More than 90% of the loss can be attributed to just a dozen bird families, including sparrows, blackbirds and finches.