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Science
4:06 pm
Thu February 7, 2013

To Enrich Uranium, Buy The Right Stuff And Don't Get Caught

Credit Iranian President's Office / AP
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (center) visits a uranium enrichment facility in Natanz, Iran, in 2008. Enriching uranium requires many fast-spinning centrifuges, arranged in what's called a cascade.

Originally published on Thu February 7, 2013 6:27 pm

Iran's government on Thursday made clear it has no interest in direct talks until the U.S. eases sanctions that have been squeezing Iran's economy. But the Obama administration isn't budging and says the ball is in the Iranians' court.

The suspicion that Iran wants to make a nuclear weapon is the rationale for the sanctions as well as for veiled threats of U.S. or Israeli military action if those sanctions fail.

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The Salt
4:01 pm
Thu February 7, 2013

Animal Magnetism: How Salmon Find Their Way Back Home

Credit Current Biology, Putman et al.
Bright red sockeye salmon swim up the Fraser River to the stream where they were hatched.

Originally published on Fri February 8, 2013 1:50 pm

Before they end up filleted and sautéed on your dinner plate, salmon lead some pretty extraordinary, globe-trotting lives.

After hatching in a freshwater stream, young salmon make a break for the ocean, where they hang out for years, covering thousands of miles before deciding its time to settle down and lay eggs in their natal stream.

So how do these fish find their way back to their home river?

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Science
3:19 pm
Thu February 7, 2013

Fresh Clues In Dinosaur Whodunit Point To Asteroid

Originally published on Thu February 7, 2013 6:53 pm

Some 66 million years ago, about 75 percent of species on Earth disappeared. It wasn't just dinosaurs but most large mammals, fish, birds and plankton. Scientists have known this for a long time just from looking at the fossil record. If you dig deep enough, you find lots of dinosaur bones. And then a few layers up, they're gone.

But scientists couldn't figure out exactly what had caused this phenomenon. Of course, there were lots of theories.

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Krulwich Wonders...
11:37 am
Thu February 7, 2013

Next Time Your Mom Says Don't Go Out in The Rain, Spray Yourself With This

Credit YouTube

Originally published on Thu February 7, 2013 11:38 am

Shots - Health News
2:31 am
Thu February 7, 2013

Silica Rule Changes Delayed While Workers Face Health Risks

Originally published on Thu February 7, 2013 2:07 pm

Shots - Health News
3:36 pm
Wed February 6, 2013

Debate Rages On Even As Research Ban On Gun Violence Ends

Credit Tom Pennington / Getty Images
More than 400 guns, including these three, were turned in during a Dallas gun buyback program in January. But determining the effectiveness of such programs is difficult due to limits on gun-related research.

Originally published on Wed February 6, 2013 5:12 pm

The characteristics of gun violence in the U.S. are largely unknown because key federal health agencies have been banned from conducting such research since the mid-1990s.

President Obama, however, wants to change that.

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The Salt
12:06 pm
Wed February 6, 2013

Stone Age Stew? Soup Making May Be Older Than We'd Thought

Credit iStockphoto.com
The tradition of making soup is probably at least 25,000 years old, says one archaeologist.

Originally published on Mon February 11, 2013 3:36 pm

Soup comes in many variations — chicken noodle, creamy tomato, potato and leek, to name a few. But through much of human history, soup was much simpler, requiring nothing more than boiling a haunch of meat or other chunk of food in water to create a warm, nourishing broth.

So who concocted that first bowl of soup?

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Research News
1:55 am
Wed February 6, 2013

Why You Love That Ikea Table, Even If It's Crooked

Credit iStockphoto.com
Building your own stuff boosts your feelings of pride and competence, and also signals to others that you are competent.

Originally published on Wed February 6, 2013 9:51 am

Have you ever spent a couple of hours working on a craft project — or a presentation for work — and then fallen in love with what you've accomplished? Do the colors you've picked for your PowerPoint background pop so beautifully that you just have to sit back and admire your own genius?

If so, get in line: You're the latest person to fall victim to the Ikea Effect.

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Shots - Health News
3:19 pm
Tue February 5, 2013

Exercise Can Be Good For The Heart, And Maybe For Sperm, Too

Credit David M. Phillips / Science Source
Human sperm race to fertilize an egg.

Originally published on Wed February 6, 2013 9:39 am

Guys, it may be time to get off the couch and hit the treadmill — especially if you want to have kids.

Okay, we all know that exercise is good for us. It can reduce the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease, to name a few benefits. Now researchers say physical activity may also help keep sperm healthy and happy.

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Krulwich Wonders...
1:13 pm
Tue February 5, 2013

Dinosaurs With Attitude

Come on, this isn't serious, is it? There was an animal that looked like this?

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