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December 13, 2012 We've all heard them: explanations rooted in evolutionary biology for why "promiscuous" males mate with many more partners than "choosy" females. Barbara J. King traces these widespread assumptions to a famous 1948 study on fruitflies — a study that a group of modern-day scientists now say was badly flawed.

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December 13, 2012 Is there a "War on Christmas" as some have proclaimed? Mike Smith thinks he knows the real issue , while Mike Luckovich predicts the victor.

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December 12, 2012 Our universe is fading away, at least when it comes to how many stars are being made. Its age of splendor long gone, we take solace in knowing that we are here to witness what remains.

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December 12, 2012 Michigan's legislature enacted "right to work" laws as scores of demonstrators converged on the state Capitol in protest. Lisa Benson thinks the developments are another sign that organized labor is going nowhere, while Jen Sorensen sees plenty of potential benefits from unionization.

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December 12, 2012 Author Wendy Welch shares her favorite book about small-town life that defy stereotypes. What is your favorite work that takes a bite out of literary tradition? Tell us in the comments.

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December 11, 2012 What would you want in a national Pledge For Science? How would you balance out the need to keep politicians from waffling on scientific issues as diverse as evolution, climate change and vaccines while separating out issues of research from issues of policy?

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December 11, 2012 On Sunday, President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner met one-on-one at the White House. Even before the closed-door session, Tim Eagan and John Deering imagined who would have the upper hand.

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December 10, 2012 The bombshell announcement by South Carolina's Jim DeMint that he will resign his Senate seat could lead to the first black senator from the South since Reconstruction. But how will DeMint's tenure be judged?

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December 10, 2012 The finding that climate denial is linked to conspiratorial thinking has sparked a backlash in the blogosphere. Commentator Tania Lombrozo checks in with a contested paper's lead author.

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December 10, 2012 Dashboard video cameras are common in Russia. In case you get bumped into, or bump someone else, insurance companies want to see what happened. So we have a video record of what it's like to drive there. You don't want to see this compilation video. (Oh yes you do.)

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December 10, 2012 Americans are counting the shopping days until Christmas as they bite their nails over the fiscal cliff crisis. David Fitzsimmons and Randy Bish put a holiday spin on their respective positions.

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December 9, 2012 Talks to end the National Hockey League lockout have broken down, and the entire season could be cancelled. Cam Cardow thinks the league's players and owners both stink on the ice, while Nate Beeler hopes Santa-ty will prevail.

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December 8, 2012 After an act of kindness by a New York City cop, Jeffrey Hillman went from being an anonymous, overlooked street person to a public figure whose life was dissected as if he were running for office.

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