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Oct. 17, 2014

Rooting Out the Plant Microbiome

Scientists are uncovering the importance of the plant microbiome for fighting off pathogens and increasing crop yields.

More Than Cornflakes

John Harvey Kellogg and his brother, W.K., are known today for their most famous discovery—corn flakes—but invented many other health foods along the way.

Environmental Detectives Use Genetic Tools to Track Invasives

A recently developed technique called "environmental DNA" allows invasive species trackers to get a time-sensitive fingerprint of which species are living where—including underwater.

The 'First' Battle of Gas Versus Electric

As plug-in electric vehicles struggle to carve out a slice of today's auto market, it's worth remembering the first such battle—at the turn of the 1900s.

Forensic Entomologists Hunt Down Insects to Help Catch Criminals

To help piece together a crime scene, forensic entomologists examine the insects found in the area.

Is Your ‘Priceless’ Painting a Fake? Better Ask a Scientist

Techniques from physics and chemistry can help scientists and art historians sniff out art forgeries.

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Oct. 17, 2014

Oct. 09, 2014

How to Make Quark Soup

Using massive feats of engineering, Brookhaven National Laboratory has devised a recipe for cooking up tiny ephemeral batches of this quark-gluon soup, a fluid which physicists Paul Sorensen say is the most "perfect" fluid ever discovered.

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