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  Hazy hydrocarbons explain why Pluto is even colder than expected

  Dwarf planet might have unique atmosphere whose temperature is regulated by tiny particles

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  China clamps down on polluting factories

  Thousands of factories face closure or sanctions as authorities exercise new powers to curb air and water pollution

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  China moves in on US shale gas

  Alaska and West Virginia have welcomed investment from Chinese entities to develop US shale resources

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  Foam to recover spilt oil from water column

  Rather than skim the surface, this new clean-up technique jumps in at the deep end

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  The Mpemba effect: fact or fiction?

  Why freezing ice cream 50 years ago put science in hot water

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  Ancient Egyptian uprisings triggered by volcanic eruptions

  New evidence that changes in atmospheric chemistry caused social stresses and uprisings against the ruling elite

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  Hazy hydrocarbons explain why Pluto is even colder than expected

  Dwarf planet might have unique atmosphere whose temperature is regulated by tiny particles

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  Origin of mysterious interstellar emissions identified

  Bending in chicken wire molecules found to cause the strange signals from outer space

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  Heavy elements forged by cataclysmic cosmic collision

  First sighting of two neutron stars merging reveals how heavy elements are synthesised

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  Cometary chloromethane detection scuppers use of chemical in hunt for ET

  Organohalogen found simultaneously in the tail of a comet and the cloud surrounding a protostar

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  Methane-led climate change explains early Mars’ wet spells

  Red planet’s wobbles could have led to melting of methane clathrates and warming

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  Titanium oxide detected in hot atmosphere of giant exoplanet

  Very Large Telescope used to observe light from a very large planet

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