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In our latest Insight, Particle physicist Beatriz Gato-Rivera writes: “I want to explore the intriguing possibility of whether we could be immersed in a large civilization without being aware of it? Do mountain gorillas know that their ‘civilization’ is embedded in a larger ‘civilization’ corresponding to a much more evolved and intelligent species than themselves?? SETI could really be SETPI: the search for extraterrestrial primitive intelligence, because only primitive civilizations would allow themselves to be detected by external observers.” Subscribers: Listen to Whitley’s interview with Gato-Rivera on this week’s Dreamland.

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Why do so many teenagers start smoking, when adults all around them are trying so hard to quit? It’s not just because they’re rebellious and more easily fooled by advertising, it’s also because of the state of their developing brains.

Shaoni Bhattacharya writes in New Scientist that teens who start smoking are more likely to become hooked. They find it harder to quit later, so they’re more likely to become lifelong smokers (and develop health problems).
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Jordan is considered to be one of the most modern Middle Eastern countries, yet a woman is killed by a male relative there about every two weeks, because of alleged sexual transgressions?which include saying the wrong thing or even being raped.
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You may be harboring the dreaded Legionnaires Disease in your water pipes and home. The bacteria can grow in the slimy gunk lining the pipes and this may be the cause of about 20% of the cases.

“The evidence suggests that the residential water system is an underappreciated source of Legionnaires disease,” says microbiologist Janet Stout.

Daniel Q. Haney writes that Stout thinks between 2 and 5% of the 600,000 pneumonia cases requiring hospitalization in the U.S. each year are caused by the Legionella pneumophilia bacteria. The diagnosis is often missed because it requires both a bacterial culture and a special urine test.
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