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Big Picture : Blackburn has extended her Nobel Prize–winning work on telomeres to develop measures that aim to assess overall risks for heart disease, cancer and other chronic illnesses.

Ever stay up so late you feel like parts of your brain are falling asleep? They might be.

At work in a biosafety level-4 lab. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectius Disease A workplace accident might mean a paper cut or spilled coffee for many--or even loss of life or limb for others. For a select few scientists, however, a little slipup on the job could release a deadly virus or toxin into the environment

In the first week of the trial of Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson 's physician, Los Angeles jurors heard audio recordings of the late pop star's slurred speech, in addition to the litany of prescription drugs he had taken in the hours and weeks prior to his June 25, 2009, death. [More]

MANILA (Reuters) - Rescue helicopters and boats distributed food, water and medicine to thousands of Filipinos marooned in flooded towns north of the capital on Monday and authorities said water levels were starting to recede. Wide areas of rice-producing Bulacan and Pampanga provinces have been submerged since late last week after the Philippines was hit by two typhoons.

The heat is on, too Neutrinos that go beyond light speed? Not so fast, say two theoretical physicists. [More]

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Charles Darwin had more in common with chimpanzees than even he realized.

Now we come to the IgNobel prize in physiology, though this study isn’t really what you’d associate with physiology. It’s more what you associate with behavior.

You are what you wear.

You are what you wear. Most of us know appearances matter in first impressions, but recent research shows that clothing can tap into pretty stark racial stereotypes. Thirty-four subjects--almost all white or Asian--looked at digital faces.

The Advances section of Scientific American 's October issue includes coverage of preschoolers' innate sense of the scientific method, a report suggesting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is failing to do enough to regulate contaminants in tap water, recently re-discovered texts by Archimedes, and more. For those interested in learning more about the developments described in this section, a list of selected further reading follows.

To vocalize, animals create sound waves in their pipe-like vocal tracts. Shorter pipes produce higher-frequency sounds, so small animals like the cuddly koala should have high voices. [Koala sound.] Or not.

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The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) announced the winners of its latest round of grants yesterday in a telephone conference. The funds will advance research projects geared toward improving energy efficiency, developing alternative fuels, improving electrical infrastructure and reducing U.S. dependence on foreign resources.