Science, Quickly

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Diminutive Peoples Took Different Paths to Petite Aug 03, 2015

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Adults of the west African Baka people and east African Efé and Sua peoples average less than five feet tall. But while the Efé and Sua are born small, the Baka have slow growth rates in infancy

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Baseball Great Thanks Tommy John Surgery, Decries Its Frequency Jul 27, 2015

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In his induction speech at the Baseball Hall of Fame, pitcher John Smoltz hoped that the number of such procedures could be lessened in the future

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Appetizers Can Psychologically Spoil Your Appetite Jul 22, 2015

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Mediocre main dishes taste even worse when they follow delectable appetizers—an example of the so-called "hedonic effect." Erika Beras reports

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Many Overweight and Obese Teens Underestimate Their Weight Jul 21, 2015

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A survey of nearly 5,000 13- to 15-year-olds in the U.K. found that 40 percent of overweight and obese teens did not self-identify as “too heavy.” Cynthia Graber reports

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Male Black Widows Strive for Mate's Monogamy Jul 16, 2015

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During courtship, male black widow spiders snip and bundle up the female's web in their own silk, which discourages other suitors from stopping by. Christopher Intagliata reports

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Active Duty Army Suicide Attempts Analyzed Jul 15, 2015

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Researchers gathered data from various Army databases to analyze nearly 10,000 attempted suicides of active duty personnel. Cynthia Graber reports

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Roman Builders May Have Copied Volcanic "Concrete" Jul 09, 2015

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The rock of the Campi Flegrei Caldera, west of Naples, Italy, has an intricate network of mineral fibers—just like the famed Roman concrete. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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Dark Matter Dominates Just-Discovered Galaxies Jul 08, 2015

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Astronomers have discovered more than 800 so-called "ultradiffuse galaxies" that are virtually invisible because they have relatively few stars and are mostly dark matter. Clara Moskowitz reports

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Marijuana Muddies Memory and Mixes with Alcohol to Make Trouble Jul 01, 2015

Show notes

People who smoke pot and drink are twice as likely to do both at the same time than to do just one, with the combo associated with bad decision-making; and chronic pot smokers who had not indulged in a month were still more likely to have faulty memories than were nonsmokers. Erika Beras reports

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Programmed Bacteria Can Detect Tumors Jun 23, 2015

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Sangeeta Bhatia of M.I.T. talks about efforts to get bacteria to home in on tumors and let us know they're there. Cynthia Graber reports

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