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Stories
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A planet from the Avatar movies may exist in real life
One of the brightest stars in the night sky seems to be orbited by a planet like Jupiter. The news is sure to cheer fans of the Avatar series, which centers on a moon that orbits a fictional gas giant planet in this particular star system.
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Study finds female mountain gorillas prefer to join 'buddies'
A long-term study of mountain gorillas finds that when female gorillas move into a new group, they pick one that contains buddies they've lived with before.
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Don't wait for the Perseids in August — look for meteors this week
A bright moon will make it hard to see the Perseid meteor shower in mid-August, but one night this week offers a decent chance of seeing some shooting stars.
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Scientists study how people would react to a neurotic robot personality in real life
Neurotic robots are a staple of science fiction. One study recently found that neurotic traits in a robot can make them seem more relatable.
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People like extroverted robots — but they relate to the neurotic ones
Neurotic personalities are a staple of science fiction. Researchers who study how people react to robot personalities have recently found that neurotic traits in a robot can make them seem more relatable.
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Neurotic robots can be more relatable than extroverted bots, study finds
Neurotic robots are a staple of science fiction. Researchers who study how people react to robot personalities, however, haven't focused on this much -- though one study recently found that neurotic traits in a robot can make them seem more relatable.
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Hurry up! Scientists predict today will be (slightly) shorter than normal
Earth doesn't rotate exactly on schedule. Scientists believe that today is going to be about a millisecond short of a typical 24-hour day.
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100 years after evolution went on trial, the Scopes case still reverberates
A century after a famous trial that centered on the teaching of evolution, science continues to be at the center of contentious public debates.
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NASA spots a new comet flying in from a distant star system
The newly discovered interstellar visitor is just the third of its kind and fascinates astronomers who hope to learn from it about galaxies far, far away.
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A new observatory in Chile releases some of its first images
The powerful Vera C. Rubin Observatory is releasing some of its first images as part of an ambitious effort to effectively create a movie of all the changes in the southern night sky over a decade.
