Enemies of humanity

Written by Steven Lyazi

After being infected again with malaria last July, I spent almost a month in a Kampala hospital. Paying for my treatment was extremely difficult, as it is for most Ugandan and African families. I was lucky I could scrape the money together. Many families cannot afford proper treatment.

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55 Cancri e: Super-Hot Super-Earth

Written by Elizabeth Howell

55 Cancri e is a super-Earth — about twice our planet’s size — that zooms around its star in 18 days. It has a surface temperature of nearly 4,900 degrees Fahrenheit (2,700 degrees Celsius). For a while, it was dubbed the “diamond planet” because scientists suggested that it was composed of diamonds and graphite.

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Scientists Create First Genetically Engineered Human Embryos In US

Written by Andrew Follett

A team of U.S. researchers for the first time ever edited human embryo DNA, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Tech Review revealed Wednesday.

Oregon Health and Science University scientists changed the DNA of single-celled human embryos using a gene-editing technique called CRISPR, according to anonymous people familiar with the procedures.

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Portals to new worlds: Martian exploration near the North Pole

Written by Mara Johnson-Groh

Perched on the edge of a 39-million-year-old crater is a white circular hut. It sticks out on the rocky, lichen-dotted landscape of Devon Island in Nunavut, Canada. Known as “the Hab,” this 26-foot diameter structure is home to six scientists and researchers who just moved in for a 12-week mission to simulate life on Mars.

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This Newly-Discovered Dinosaur Looks Just Like a Modern Day Cassowary

Written by George Dvorsky

As virtually every school-aged child knows, birds are descended from dinosaurs. But holy toledo, does this newly discovered oviraptorid ever look like a modern cassowary—right from the dramatic crest atop its head through to its long neck and ostrich-like shape. The paleontologists who discovered the dino are now studying modern cassowaries to get a better sense of its potential behavior.

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