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Articles on Research Brief

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Tyrannosaurus rex spanned all of ancient North America, and about 20,000 lived at once. Roger Harris/Science Photo Library vie Getty Images

How many Tyrannosaurus rex walked the Earth?

Using the incredible wealth of fossil data and a modern ecological theory, researchers estimated population density for the extinct apex predator.
The colors in this microscope photo of a fruit fly brain show different types of neurons and the cells that surround them in the brain. Sarah DeGenova Ackerman

Astrocyte cells in the fruit fly brain are an on-off switch that controls when neurons can change and grow

Adaptable neurons are tied to learning and memory but also to neurological disorders. By studying fruit flies, researchers found a mechanism that controls neuroplasticity.
Giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) is a potential energy crop. Linking Tourism & Conservation/Flickr

Move over, corn and soybeans: The next biofuel source could be giant sea kelp

Making biofuels from crops grown on land poses trade-offs between food and fuel. A new study looks offshore.
Project-based learning gets kids to explore natural phenomena and solve real-world problems. Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Project-based learning deepens science knowledge for 3rd graders in Michigan

Students who took part in the program scored 8% higher on the state science test than students who received traditional instruction, and demonstrated greater social and emotional learning.
Leaders can make rules in a pandemic, but it takes everyone’s compliance for them to work. Ada daSilva via Getty Images

Culture matters a lot in successfully managing a pandemic - and many countries that did well had one thing in common

A new study finds egalitarian nations have had fewer COVID-19 deaths than individualistic ones like the US, a new study finds. But women’s leadership may have something to do with their success, too.
Sewage samples mixed with magnetic beads and loaded onto the liquid-handling robot for viral concentration. C. H. Sheikhzadeh @ HOMA Photographic Art

Sewage-testing robots process wastewater faster to predict COVID-19 outbreaks sooner

A community’s wastewater can predict coronavirus cases that haven’t yet been diagnosed. The quicker that information is known, the better.
Johns Hopkins University President Ronald J. Daniels, left, speaks with Michael Bloomberg, who has given the school more than $3.3 billion. Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images

Alumni gratitude and support for causes are behind donations of $50 million or more to colleges and universities

In some cases, big donors are supporting higher education to support a philanthropic strategy that includes racial and economic justice.
Fungi make up a small but important part of gut microbiomes. Mogana Das Murtey and Patchamuthu Ramasamy via Wikimedia Commons

Fungal microbiome: Whether mice get fatter or thinner depends on the fungi that live in their gut

Fungi are a small but important part of the gut microbiome. A new study in mice shows that how much weight mice gain on a processed food diet depends on this fungal microbiome.
The use of coal for electric power has been declining fast in the U.S. AP Photo/J. David Ake

What’s really driving coal power’s demise?

Contrary to popular belief, falling natural gas prices didn’t significantly accelerate coal power plant retirements. Here’s what did.

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