Nell Greenfieldboyce

Nell Greenfieldboyce appears in the following:

Octopuses Get Strangely Cuddly On The Mood Drug Ecstasy

Thursday, September 20, 2018

The drug makes the usually antisocial creatures much more interested in friendly contact with other octopuses. It's one more sign that the chemistry of social behavior has deep evolutionary roots.

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BirdCast: Predicting Bird Migrations

Sunday, September 16, 2018

Scientists have developed a forecast model for predicting mass bird migrations, based in part on weather patterns.

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Migrating Birds Avoid Bad Weather — Which Makes Their Paths Predictable

Thursday, September 13, 2018

Scientists have developed a forecast model for predicting mass bird migrations, based in part on weather patterns.

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What's Mine Is Yours, Sort Of: Bonobos And The Tricky Evolutionary Roots Of Sharing

Tuesday, September 11, 2018

Bonobos are much more likely than common chimpanzees to share their food, a study suggests. But researchers who study sharing say human kids are more helpful and cooperative than either species.

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Migration 101: It Doesn't Come Naturally For Moose And Sheep

Thursday, September 06, 2018

A study suggests large mammals must learn to migrate — and they aren't exactly quick studies. It takes decades before populations can effectively move across land to find the best food.

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Who Caused The Mysterious Leak At The International Space Station?

Wednesday, September 05, 2018

"We don't reject any theories," said Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russia's space agency. That includes sabotage, though he suspects it was more likely a "technological error."

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Too Frail To Retire? Humans Ponder The Fate Of Research Chimps

Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Lab chimps used in medical studies are being retired to a forested sanctuary. But scientists and workers who care for the animals say some older chimps aren't healthy enough to make the transition.

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Toddlers Like Winners, But How They Win Matters

Monday, August 27, 2018

Unlike other primates, human toddlers watching a competition don't appreciate victors who shove rivals out of the way. Even little kids prefer high-status characters who aren't bullies.

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NASA Braves The Heat To Get Up Close And Personal With Our Sun

Thursday, August 09, 2018

A new NASA probe will get closer to our sun than ever before, to try to solve mysteries like why its atmosphere is so much hotter than its surface.

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NASA Announces New Astronauts For Commercial Flights

Sunday, August 05, 2018

NASA has selected the astronauts who will fly on the first commercial space flights.

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NASA Announces Crew For First Commercial Space Flights

Friday, August 03, 2018

NASA has selected the astronauts who will blast off on new commercial space vehicles set for next year. Two of them flew on the final mission of NASA's space shuttle in 2011.

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What Makes A Leader?

Thursday, August 02, 2018

Leaders make decisions for a group in the same way they make choices for themselves, a study suggests. They don't change their decision-making behavior, even when the welfare of others is at stake.

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When Spiders Go Airborne, It's Electric — Literally

Thursday, July 05, 2018

Many spiders ply the skies by riding "balloons" of silk. And they rely on something more than just the wind to take them high up and far away.

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Scientists Hope Lab-Grown Embryos Can Save Rhino Species From Extinction

Wednesday, July 04, 2018

Only two northern white rhinos remain, and they're both female. But researchers said Wednesday that they successfully have created embryos using sperm collected from the males before they died out.

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Report For Defense Department Ranks Top Threats From 'Synthetic Biology'

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

A committee of experts examined about a dozen different synthetic biology technologies that could be potentially misused. For each, they considered how likely it was to be usable as a weapon.

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Credibility Concerns Lead NIH To End Study Of Alcohol's Health Effects

Friday, June 15, 2018

Scientists and National Institutes of Health officials met with alcohol company executives and appeared to solicit money from them in violation of government policy. The NIH canceled the study.

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Math Bee: Honeybees Seem To Understand The Notion Of Zero

Thursday, June 07, 2018

Research shows that bees possess a mathematical ability once thought to exist only in dolphins, primates, birds and humans who are beyond the preschool years.

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CDC: U.S. Suicide Rates Have Climbed Dramatically

Thursday, June 07, 2018

Guns are the most common method used for suicide, accounting for the deaths of almost half the people who kill themselves, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study finds.

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Asteroid Impact That Wiped Out The Dinosaurs Also Caused Abrupt Global Warming

Thursday, May 24, 2018

The crash of the space rock that slammed into the Yucatan Peninsula also warmed up the Earth's atmosphere for 100,000 years. And scientists say it's a cautionary tale for people living today.

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Report: Most Former Research Chimps Should Move To Retirement Sanctuaries

Friday, May 18, 2018

A working group convened by the National Institutes of Health looked at where chimps that had been used in research should live now. Unless relocating chimps would endanger them, a sanctuary is best.

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