Duke University Pays US$113 million to Settle Academic Fraud Case

Written by Arturo Casadevall

Last week, Duke University announced it would pay the US government US$112.5 million to settle claims that fraudulent data were used in dozens of research-grant applications.

This is a communal punishment for an institution where the overwhelming majority of scientists are honest, hard-working individuals seeking knowledge for the good of humanity.

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Is This Earth’s Oldest Ice?

Written by Megan Gannon

The Oldest Ice on Earth May Be Hiding 1.5 Miles Beneath Antarctica

Researchers on their way to Dome C near the Concordia station on the Antarctic Plateau in Antarctica. Credit: Yann Arthus-Bertrand via Getty Images

European scientists looking for some of the oldest ice on the planet have homed in on a particular spot in Antarctica, where they will drill more than 1.5 miles (2.7 kilometers) below the surface of the ice.

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Homo luzonensis: New human species found in Philippines

Written by Paul Rincon

Proximal foot phalanxImage copyright FLORENT DETROIT
Image caption The finger and toe bones are curved, suggesting climbing was still an important activity for this species

There’s a new addition to the family tree: an extinct species of human that’s been found in the Philippines. It’s known as Homo luzonensis, after the site of its discovery on the country’s largest island Luzon.

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Unexpected rain on sun links two solar mysteries

Written by NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

For five months in mid 2017, Emily Mason did the same thing every day. Arriving to her office at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, she sat at her desk, opened up her computer, and stared at images of the Sun — all day, every day.

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Thought Provoking by Definition

Written by Joseph A Olson PE

The basic purpose of science is to ask and attempt to answer questions. Seldom is the answer obvious or simple.

The Earth’s climate is the final visible result of a large number of complex nuclear, chemical, geological and astronomical forces.

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Japanese probe likely to have ‘bombed’ an asteroid

Written by Paul Rincon

Hayabusa2Image copyright AKIHIRO IKESHITA
Image caption Artwork: Scientists want to retrieve a pristine sample of material from the crater

The Japanese Hayabusa-2 spacecraft is thought to have detonated an explosive charge on the asteroid it is exploring.

The idea was to create an artificial crater on the object known as Ryugu.

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New CO2 Science: From Climate Demon to Saint

Written by John O'Sullivan

A huge volcano in Iceland may be getting ready to erupt - Vox

The new millenium is seeing revolutionary change in our understanding of carbon dioxide (CO2). Once the demon global warming gas, scientists are increasingly accepting they got that wrong. We examine some of the astonishing developments.

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