Surprising

Creatures living in our cities are evolving in some surprising ways

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From mosquitoes and rats to foxes and birds, the urban environment is transforming animals that live among us – but which new species should we expect next? Life 9 March 2022 By Rob Dunn Pigeons, as well as crows, jays and owls, are thriving in the urban jungle Bjorn Grotting/Alamy TO THE naturalist in me, … Read more

Mars rover wraps survey of Jezero crater’s surprising volcanic floor | Science

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THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS—After a year exploring the floor of Mars’s Jezero crater, where it gathered seven—soon to be eight—chalk-size rock samples for return to Earth, NASA’s Perseverance rover is set to speed toward its longstanding target at the crater’s edge: the remnants of a delta, deposited by water billions of years ago, that may contain … Read more

Michigan’s surprising recipe for improving diversity in graduate physics | Science

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This story is part of a special package being published this week about the barriers Black physicists face and potential models for change. Read more C. Smith/Science Roy Clarke missed the freewheeling atmosphere of the legendary Bell Telephone Laboratories after he left Bell to join the physics faculty at the University of Michigan (UM), Ann … Read more

Omicron’s Surprising Anatomy Explains Why It Is Wildly Contagious

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The Omicron coronavirus variant is likely the fastest-spreading virus in human history, according to experts. While one person with the measles virus—a standout among infectious microbes—might infect 15 others within 12 days, Omicron jumps from person to person so quickly that a single case can give rise to six cases after four days, 36 cases … Read more

The Mysterious ‘Pareidolia’ Phenomenon Turns Out to Have a Surprising Bias

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It’s fun sometimes when your eyes play tricks on you, and you see a face that isn’t really there, staring back at you from a power plug or a potato. This phenomenon is called face pareidolia, and it’s something that humans, and even chimps, naturally do.   But it looks like facial features aren’t the … Read more

Deep Conversations With Strangers Can Have Surprising Results, Study Shows

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When we want to really connect with others, we usually limit ourselves to family and close friends. Opening up to a stranger would likely seem a daunting prospect to most of us – but it looks like our expectations may not always match reality.   New research suggests that people’s expectations about their interactions with strangers … Read more