Nell Greenfieldboyce

Nell Greenfieldboyce appears in the following:

Polly Share A Cracker? Parrots Can Practice Acts Of Kindness, Study Finds

Thursday, January 09, 2020

Researchers found that African grey parrots voluntarily helped a partner get a food reward by giving the other bird a valuable metal token that could be exchanged for a walnut.

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A Knotty Problem Solved

Thursday, January 02, 2020

We know that some knots hold better than others, but the why of it hasn't been so clear. Special fibers that change color under strain are providing some answers.

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India Announces Plans For Its First Human Space Mission

Wednesday, January 01, 2020

It hopes to become the fourth nation, after the United States, China and Russia, to send people into space. The mission is targeted for 2022.

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Trapped Cars Faced New Holiday Travel Menace: #tumblegeddon

Wednesday, January 01, 2020

Tumbleweeds are common in the desert plateau of eastern Washington state. But a 12-foot high stack of them trapped cars for hours.

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Encore: How Kids React To Beards And How It Changes With Age

Friday, December 27, 2019

A new study shows that young children have a negative reaction to beards, but that changes as they get older.

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Why Certain Poor Shepherds In Nativity Scenes Have Huge, Misshapen Throats

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

In some historical Nativity scenes, the shepherds have grossly enlarged thyroid glands — also known today as goiter. It's an apparent symbol of their poverty and iodine-deficient diet.

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Steam On, Steamboat: The World's Tallest Active Geyser Has Another Record Year

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

The world's tallest active geyser is Steamboat Geyser, in Yellowstone National Park. It's been on a real eruption streak lately and 2019 saw the most recorded eruptions in a calendar year.

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A New Safety Program Takes On Silica Dust Amid A Possible Crisis

Saturday, December 21, 2019

It will now be easier for the government to inspect shops where workers might get exposed to lung-damaging silica dust. But it's unclear how much it will affect countertop workers.

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Probe Gets Close To The Sun — Finds Rogue Plasma Waves And Flipping Magnetic Fields

Wednesday, December 04, 2019

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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'There's No Good Dust': What Happens After Quartz Countertops Leave The Factory

Monday, December 02, 2019

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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What Happens After Quartz Countertops Leave The Factory

Monday, December 02, 2019

Some workers are sick — some even died — after cutting stone countertops for kitchens and bathrooms. The material is cut to order in thousands of shops that may not understand the dangers.

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'It's Going To Get Worse': How U.S. Countertop Workers Started Getting Sick

Thursday, November 21, 2019

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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For These Vampires, A Shared Blood Meal Lets 'Friendship' Take Flight

Thursday, October 31, 2019

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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3 Researchers Win Nobel Prize In Chemistry For Work With Lithium-Ion Batteries

Wednesday, October 09, 2019

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

Wednesday, October 09, 2019

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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Lawmakers Seek Protections For Workers Against Lung Damage Tied To Making Countertops

Monday, October 07, 2019

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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Workers Are Falling Ill, Even Dying, After Making Kitchen Countertops

Wednesday, October 02, 2019

Irreversible lung disease has started to show up among young workers who cut, grind and polish countertops made of increasingly popular "engineered" stone. The material is more than 90% silica.

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A Peculiar Solar System Has Scientists Rethinking Theories Of How Planets Form

Thursday, September 26, 2019

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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As Made-To-Order DNA Gets Cheaper, Keeping It Out Of The Wrong Hands Gets Harder

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

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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North America Has Lost 3 Billion Birds, Scientists Say

Thursday, September 19, 2019

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.

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