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Cassini spent part of its Grand Finale diving through the gap between Saturn and its rings, taking observations that had never before been attempted. (Credit: JPL/Caltech) The Cassini probe has given us a spectacular view of the Saturn system over the 13 years it’s been there. In that time, it’s opened up untold wonders of our second-largest planet and its 62 spectacular moons. Here are a few big-to-small numbers to know as Cassini prepares for self-destruction: 4.9 billion miles:& ...read more

By: Lily Bui In the brief span of two months, a series of disasters have swept across the globe. Hurricanes in the Gulf Coast and the Caribbean left homes, businesses, and streets flooded, disarmed power grids and basic services, and devastated the communities that rely on them. An earthquake in Mexico spurred mass evacuations and toppled buildings. Floods in South Asia killed thousands and shut millions of children out of school. Critical to disaster response efforts after an incident is the ga ...read more

(Credit: Shutterstock) Women may soon have more options when it comes to deciding how often they are screened for cervical cancer. But here’s the thing ― age is important. Women ages 30 to 65 years can either get screened every three years with a pap smear or every five years with a high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) test, according to draft recommendations on cervical cancer screening released Tuesday by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).  This draft recommen ...read more

A macaque using a stone tool to break open shellfish. (Credit: Luncz et. al/eLife) The advent of tools was a big deal for humanity. It made it far easier to manipulate our environment and mold the planet to serve our own interests—from the folsom point to the iPhone X. Some animals use tools too, like the macaques of Thailand, who have figured out that their favorite shellfish snacks are much easier to eat if they bash them open with rocks first. They’ve become proficient shellfish ...read more

One-third of Asia’s high mountain glaciers will melt — even if the Paris Agreement succeeds. Afternoon clouds roll into a Himalayan valley below Yala Glacier Basecamp in Nepal. (Credit: Joseph Shea) There’s so much ice packed into the high mountains of Asia that scientists call it Earth’s “Third Pole.” The Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau hold the largest reserves of freshwater outside the Arctic and Antarctic. Here, thousands of glaciers form the headwater ...read more

This is NOT a scientifically accurate illustration of oral bacteria. (Credit: Shutterstock) Were you born to have bad teeth, or did you break them? When it comes to allocating blame for tooth decay, one of the most common chronic childhood diseases worldwide, experts point fingers at both genes and dental hygiene as causes. Excessive sugar consumption and acid buildup in the mouth have long been linked with cavities, but there are clearly other factors in play. That the causality waters are st ...read more

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(Credit: structuresxx/Shutterstock) In Australia, a question lingers: Do we shoot the kangaroos? The proposition sounds a bit inhumane at first blush, after all, the kangaroo stands proudly on the Australian coat of arms. The bouncing beasts are a fixture of the outback. But in recent years, the roos have been doing quite well—in fact, too well. Their numbers have been bolstered by the extinction of natural predators and generous rainfall; there are now so many kangaroos, that one ecolog ...read more

(Credit: RSGS) After more than a century, a mysterious shorthand message exhumed from the archives is confounding scientists and historical societies alike. In the winter of 1903, upon returning from his very first Antarctic expedition, Sir Ernest Shackleton found himself in need of a job. He applied for a secretary position within the Royal Scottish Geographical Society (RSGS), an organization responsible for introducing the latest and most innovative technologies. Among them at the time: the ...read more