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Stories
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Shadowed By Controversy, NASA Won't Rename New Space Telescope
Some scientists are calling on NASA to rename the James Webb Space Telescope, arguing that it honors someone who was complicit in persecuting gay government workers. NASA says the name will stay.
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NASA's Got A New, Big Telescope. It Could Find Hints Of Life On Far-Flung Planets
The James Webb Space Telescope will let scientists study small, rocky planets around distant stars in more detail than ever before. After decades of work, it could head into orbit later this year.
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Got Plans For Sept. 24, 2182? This Big Asteroid Might, Too
A NASA mission to a potentially dangerous asteroid has let researchers map out its future trajectory like never before.
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This Sweet White Flower Is Actually A Sneaky Carnivore, Scientists Discover
Carnivorous plants are rare, but now botanists say they've found one that's long been overlooked. It lives just outside Vancouver, British Columbia, and in other parts of the Pacific Northwest.
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When A City-Sized Star Becomes A Black Hole's Lunch, The Universe Roils
It's a smack down of one space monster by another: Scientists have made unprecedented observations of two black holes gobbling two neutron stars — among the weirdest space collisions ever detected.
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Alien Planet-Hunters In Hundreds Of Nearby Star Systems Could Spot Earth
Potentially, observers in plenty of star systems could have detected Earth sometime in the last 5,000 years. More stars will soon move into positions that would let them see our planet.
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When The Brood X Cicadas Descend In Masses, So Do Bug Scientists
When a critter spends 17 years underground, it's not easy to study. So as Brood X cicadas break out, they're followed closely by researchers who must cram a lot of work in about six weeks.
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Freshly Made Plutonium From Outer Space Found On Ocean Floor
Something went boom in outer space and sent radioactive stardust our way, and it's just been found at the bottom of the ocean.
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Cats Take 'If I Fits I Sits' Seriously, Even If The Space Is Just An Illusion
If you've spent any time around cats, you've seen them curl up in cozy spaces. A new study on feline cognition shows that they also like to sit in snug squares created by a kind of optical illusion.
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25 Down And 71,632 To Go: Scientists Seek Genomes Of All Critters With A Backbone
Biologists say newly efficient and accurate gene sequencing techniques have allowed them to fairly quickly detail full genomes and find overlooked genes in a broad range of 25 important species.