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Several vertebrate species can distinguish between, say, two and five bananas--but with the exception of primates, they can’t grasp the numerical rules that would let them arrange their piles of fruit from least to most. Now, new research suggests that pigeons, like primates, can follow these abstract numerical rules

By Scott DiSavino (Reuters) - U.S. regulators moved a step closer on Thursday toward clearing the country's first nuclear reactors since the Three Mile Island accident in 1979, even as the industry struggles against plunging natural gas prices and safety fears after Japan's Fukushima disaster.

XMRV image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention A recent research paper that linked a retrovirus to chronic fatigue syndrome was fully retracted Thursday, following more than a year of growing doubts and incremental backpeddling by researchers and journals alike

In a 2008, for a few moments, Republicans and Democrats came together in support of action to mitigate the impacts of climate change. In an ad sponsored by former Vice President Al Gore’s group, Alliance for Climate Protection , Former Speakers of the House Nancy Pelosi and Newt Gingrich sat down together and voiced their agreement that the “country must take action to address climate change.” Pelosi went further, saying that the country needs “cleaner forms of energy.. fast.” [More]

This year was quite an eventful one in spaceflight, with many vessels launching toward the heavens -- and a few crashing back to Earth . [More]

.bigbody a {color:#008CB3;} Arianna Huffington President, AOL Huffington Post Media Group The Acumen Fund : "I'm an admirer of this organization, which is headed by one of my favorite women, Jacqueline Novogratz. It invests in startups--from Kenya to Karachi to Dubai--that improve the lives of those powerless to do so on their own."

It’s better than an ant farm. It’s more exciting than a flea circus

Key concepts [More]

In South Africa they have a problem, a big one: too many elephants. [More]

By Zoe Corbyn A common assumption is that rising global temperatures will increase the spread of malaria -- the deadly mosquito-borne disease that affects millions of people worldwide. [More]

Holiday travel is a recipe for infection. And recent studies have shown how easily the infamous cruise ship bug, norovirus, can be transmitted on planes

(Reuters) - The Obama administration on Wednesday unveiled the first-ever standards to slash mercury emissions from coal-fired plants , a move aimed at protecting public health that critics say will kill jobs as plants shut down. [More]

Readers are bombarded with many "best-of" lists this time of year touting the latest and greatest in technology. Scientific American decided to broaden this idea a bit further, in search of a sampling of technologies that members of our advisory board--a group of highly accomplished scientists, engineers, educators and entrepreneurs--could not possibly live without.

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Beyond the Light Switch , a Detroit Public Television two-part documentary hosted by Scientific American Associate Editor David Biello, has been awarded a Silver Baton 2012 Alfred I.