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From: "The Economist" <noreply@e.economist.com>
To: <neil@itpartnership.com>
Subject: Simply Science: Confessions of a red-light mask addict
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2026 12:19:38 -0600
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 The Economist

 
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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July 22nd 2026

For subscribers  

 
 
 
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 The surprising science behind the expensive face masks



Sarah Lawrynuik

Deputy editor, &ldquo;The Intelligence&rdquo;



 The story didn&rsquo;t start where most science articles do. I wasn&rsquo;t in a lab, or reading academic articles. I was doomscrolling. And I was served up what must have been the 50th ad for an absurd-looking silicone light mask that promised to keep my face looking young. So I did what any reasonable person would do, and I ponied up the several hundred pounds the site requested and had the mask sent to me via express post.


 This lapse in judgment, enabled by the quick double tap of Apple Pay, sent me to The Economist&rsquo;s science editor, whom I asked whether I could dig into the effectiveness of this contraption. For the public good, of course. (To which he very unhelpfully replied: &ldquo;Shouldn&rsquo;t you have done that before you bought it?&rdquo;)


 Thankfully, he let me write our 
 
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Well Informed  
 column on the subject. And turns out, as silly as the mask might look, much of the scientific research shows that these devices can increase collagen and elastin production in your skin, thereby decreasing signs of ageing. (Much to my relief.)


 In writing that article, I came across a wealth of research exploring other applications. For example, it&rsquo;s regularly used to treat alopecia. In oncology departments, red light has been demonstrated to help heal oozing mouth sores for patients undergoing chemotherapy. Physiotherapists take advantage of red light&rsquo;s ability to decrease inflammation and use it to treat minor tendon, muscle and joint injuries. I even came across a helmet that claimed to minimise the impact of concussions. It seemed the mask article 
 
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needed a follow-up .
 


 The basic mechanism of how red light works comes at the cellular level. The longer wavelengths are absorbed inside the mitochondria of the body&rsquo;s cells. That sets off a chain reaction resulting in the production of more of a chemical called ATP. This provides cells with the energy they need to proliferate, survive and regenerate tissue.


 When it comes to all of the claims of how red light can be used, it is worth exercising some caution. Different applications have varying amounts of evidence backing their efficacy. The potential for red light to help people with Parkinson&rsquo;s and Alzheimer&rsquo;s diseases, for example, is based on studies that show minor improvements in symptoms of the diseases, but much more investigation will be needed to work out how best (or if) it could ever be useful more broadly. And even when you look at skincare, where the basic evidence that it works is stronger, establishing the most effective dose, the correct power of the light source, the ideal distance from the light source, or the optimal time spent under the light&mdash;all of that has been less well-characterised.


 At the University of Birmingham, I visited a lab where researchers were working on developing a string of LEDs that they hope to one day use on people who have damaged their spinal cords or had traumatic brain injuries. Their work on mice shows promise in recovery, as the mice treated with red light performed better in physical tests after the injury than those that weren&rsquo;t. Next they will test the device in pigs. For injuries like these, with no real treatment options at present, doctors hope red light can eventually help with people with some measure of recovery in the future. This research holds a bright future.


 Have you tried a red-light device yourself? If not, are you thinking of buying one? Let us know at
 
mailto:sciencenewsletter@economist.com?subject= 
sciencenewsletter@economist.com .
 



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photo: reuters


Researchers have discovered a new contender for King of the Swingers in the Congo&rsquo;s Lomami National Park. The &ldquo;Likweli&rdquo; monkey lives in the high canopy and is distinguished by its orange lips and white marks around its eyes. It&rsquo;s the latest example of colobus&mdash;a type of monkey known for its lack of thumbs, black-and-white fur and appetite for leaves&mdash;and is the fifth new species identified in Africa in the past 75 years.  


 
 

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<div class="preheader" style="font-size: 1px; display: none !important;">Also: Electric aviation is taking off</div>
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													Sarah Lawrynuik</p></td></tr></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" width="100%">
									
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													<i>Deputy editor, &ldquo;The Intelligence&rdquo;</i></p></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table><!-- //BYLINE --></td></tr></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" role="presentation" style="min-width: 100%; " class="stylingblock-content-wrapper"><tr><td class="stylingblock-content-wrapper camarker-inner"><!-- PARAGRAPH --><table align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="max-width: 600px;" width="100%">
 
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        <p style="margin: 0px;">
         The story didn&rsquo;t start where most science articles do. I wasn&rsquo;t in a lab, or reading academic articles. I was doomscrolling. And I was served up what must have been the 50th ad for an absurd-looking silicone light mask that promised to keep my face looking young. So I did what any reasonable person would do, and I ponied up the several hundred pounds the site requested and had the mask sent to me via express post.<br>
         <br>
         This lapse in judgment, enabled by the quick double tap of Apple Pay, sent me to <i>The Economist</i>&rsquo;s science editor, whom I asked whether I could dig into the effectiveness of this contraption. For the public good, of course. (To which he very unhelpfully replied: &ldquo;Shouldn&rsquo;t you have done that before you bought it?&rdquo;)<br>
         <br>
         Thankfully, he let me write our 
          <a   data-linkto="https://" href="https://click.e.economist.com/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5NDV9AAcAAAAABFEYF7e-udUpM816oiC9H3FP0SeKnxcnBkCUM0gqWQ1mh59So3EQdV6NIgYi-ffilqSjl35ducJMY81PjatQF02l5GOmM_wUHY1bIoE" style="text-decoration:none;" title="Well Informed">Well Informed</a> 
          column on the subject. And turns out, as silly as the mask might look, much of the scientific research shows that these devices can increase collagen and elastin production in your skin, thereby decreasing signs of ageing. (Much to my relief.)<br>
         <br>
         In writing that article, I came across a wealth of research exploring other applications. For example, it&rsquo;s regularly used to treat alopecia. In oncology departments, red light has been demonstrated to help heal oozing mouth sores for patients undergoing chemotherapy. Physiotherapists take advantage of red light&rsquo;s ability to decrease inflammation and use it to treat minor tendon, muscle and joint injuries. I even came across a helmet that claimed to minimise the impact of concussions. It seemed the mask article 
          <a   data-linkto="https://" href="https://click.e.economist.com/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5NDV9AAcAAAAABFEYF7e_t8Af38OURwuMAyoGnk9oOKNhvSv5pqW61F_hKdPP5VgUh54PnqGHIU5Pen33ozo4SjWXOr9bnXv-csIrt51bOaoZM16feU4" style="text-decoration:none;" title="needed a follow up">needed a follow-up</a>.
          <br>
         <br>
         The basic mechanism of how red light works comes at the cellular level. The longer wavelengths&nbsp;are absorbed inside the mitochondria of the body&rsquo;s cells. That sets off a chain reaction resulting in the production of more of a chemical called&nbsp;ATP. This provides cells with the energy they need to proliferate, survive and regenerate tissue.<br>
         <br>
         When it comes to all of the claims of how red light can be used, it is worth exercising some caution. Different applications have varying amounts of evidence backing their efficacy. The potential for red light to help people with Parkinson&rsquo;s and Alzheimer&rsquo;s diseases, for example, is based on studies that show minor improvements in symptoms of the diseases, but much more investigation will be needed to work out how best (or if) it could ever be useful more broadly. And even when you look at skincare, where the basic evidence that it works is stronger, establishing the most effective dose, the correct power of the light source, the ideal distance from the light source, or the optimal time spent under the light&mdash;all of that has been less well-characterised.<br>
         <br>
         At the University of Birmingham, I visited a lab where researchers were working on developing a string of LEDs that they hope to one day use on people who have damaged their spinal cords or had traumatic brain injuries. Their work on mice shows promise in recovery, as the mice treated with red light performed better in physical tests after the injury than those that weren&rsquo;t. Next they will test the device in pigs. For injuries like these, with no real treatment options at present, doctors hope red light can&nbsp;eventually&nbsp;help with people with some measure of&nbsp;recovery in the future. This research holds a bright future.<br>
         <br>
         Have you tried a red-light device yourself?&nbsp;If not, are you thinking of buying one? Let us know at
          <a alias="sciencenewsletter@economist.com" conversion="false" data-linkto="mailto:" href="mailto:sciencenewsletter@economist.com?subject=" style="text-decoration:none;" title="sciencenewsletter@economist.com">sciencenewsletter@economist.com</a>.
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            <a  href="https://click.e.economist.com/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5NDV9AAcAAAAABFEYF7fDI2a6OgKKza4EuBaody2MGhcwzJFBR4IiHC0OCpAlRpM4WDQVGRapc-x_13KrDp7vya7s1QNcoEO7SpKoW13nQopMa6WzYD0G9t28" style="color:#e3120b;text-decoration:none;">Heating up</a></td></tr><tr><td class="headline-state" style="font-family:EconomistSerif, ui-serif, Georgia, Times, Times New Roman, serif;font-size:20px;font-weight:500;color:#121212;line-height:24px;padding:0 12px 8px 12px;"><a  href="https://click.e.economist.com/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5NDV9AAcAAAAABFEYF7fEoe2D0II-qAxmCj85JLaMItQfPycWHgm-CaDnSG7vSJ3f2QdEL_XfCNojyDjHBdZoI-kGYzlKeWpYBLIseXWzNtCjFdm65fmWNqss" style="color:#0d0d0d;text-decoration:none;">The surprising benefits of red light</a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:EconomistSerif, ui-serif, Georgia, Times, Times New Roman, serif;font-size:17px;color:#0d0d0d;line-height:24px;font-weight:400;padding:0 12px 20px 12px;">
<a  href="https://click.e.economist.com/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5NDV9AAcAAAAABFEYF7fFL5XQJjCP8J_oLzMZLjxYQhbUv0bbv9BAsqSKlVFvPctE0txA0IxJN4JLeBli_is0nQ-jgFnup07C7VE87b8mEKa5uM3FKjuWdj0L" style="color:#121212;text-decoration:none;">Better skin, faster wound healing and reduced vision loss are on the cards</a></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" role="presentation" style="min-width: 100%; " class="stylingblock-content-wrapper"><tr><td class="stylingblock-content-wrapper camarker-inner"><!-- ARTICLES (3) --><table align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="max-width:600px;" width="100%">
	
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            <a  href="https://click.e.economist.com/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5NDV9AAcAAAAABFEYF7fHtcNBgHlbrxb1jmjD6zSyAk2rZQPp5uG7Dny1mYCDPF8JDj630_fXE0uuJL5YbS9GZEyzzwDeC3I637meIzDn0zlJ-NG_Tob--fC5" style="color:#e3120b;text-decoration:none;">Flying the future</a></td></tr><tr><td class="headline-state" style="font-family:EconomistSerif, ui-serif, Georgia, Times, Times New Roman, serif;font-size:20px;font-weight:500;color:#121212;line-height:24px;padding:0 12px 8px 12px;"><a  href="https://click.e.economist.com/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5NDV9AAcAAAAABFEYF7fIjeucToK2TQ2q5ISSOEORtj-yNotBeD50kTN7OHy8xr42jxkLGPIA8qYQ0pnyGU2ZFVh0c9VzeO4Bn1RRnXmUhMRYCTBTqp7vkmo-" style="color:#0d0d0d;text-decoration:none;">Electric aviation is taking off</a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:EconomistSerif, ui-serif, Georgia, Times, Times New Roman, serif;font-size:17px;color:#0d0d0d;line-height:24px;font-weight:400;padding:0 12px 20px 12px;">
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<a  href="https://click.e.economist.com/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5NDV9AAcAAAAABFEYF7fN3CifIC6axU8HAlk7hqgjC93fe_kvfEwR_5AyypCkhLZ5_EahIrL7z1ta5kJbP8CJDYfzlwf_l6icq_ODCDviYNTkEVAdLSXLjoHU" style="color:#121212;text-decoration:none;">It’s less crazy than you think</a></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table>
        
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									<b>Podcast</b></h2></td></tr></table></td></tr></table><!-- //SECTION HEADING --></td></tr></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" role="presentation" style="min-width: 100%; " class="stylingblock-content-wrapper"><tr><td class="stylingblock-content-wrapper camarker-inner"><!-- EPISODE (1) --><table align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="max-width:600px;" width="100%">
	
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																	<a   data-linkto="https://" href="https://click.e.economist.com/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5NDV9AAcAAAAABFEYF7fQ6pxe6YjQf7xwPysB_66OYxOInEjL9fI8WXtoU62pKgLvr96q9eiQHBMpRMZYz8AkWjN-mJF4iZ_oPo1s9cC__xkEmZkbMkU" style="color:#e3120b;text-decoration:none;" title="">Babbage</a></p></td></tr><tr>
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																	<a   data-linkto="https://" href="https://click.e.economist.com/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5NDV9AAcAAAAABFEYF7fRIJTAysBszt6xzTuzdHmND63kAnWqGhvZnjMl7HTTht9TjluRehlucH1sezInvyLp5Kw1qTqxrn6Xo6SmzqRT3a1ZE_ka9OA" style="color:#0d0d0d;text-decoration:none;" title="">Earth is getting dimmer and hotter</a></p></td></tr></table><table align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="max-width:468px; display: inline-block;" width="100%">
													
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																				<a   data-linkto="https://" href="https://click.e.economist.com/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5NDV9AAcAAAAABFEYF7fSn4xaQk-Mjzvf21w5kNz-TtfYnj7nYV3wS3ZNsvCUUgq6y0RqfrHXCftO5Ikceh4S0YGaM6oPrw4ZHX7AEEfcgqiE08PT-ug" style="text-decoration:none;" title="Listen"><span style="color: #0d0d0d;"><img alt="" data-assetid="169008" src="https://image.e.economist.com/lib/fe8d13727c650c7976/m/1/4d088998-49d3-4870-bee0-5e47f59a1ea7.png" style="vertical-align: middle;  height: 20px; width: 20px; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; ">Listen</span></a></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table><!-- //EPISODE (1) --></td></tr></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" role="presentation" style="min-width: 100%; " class="stylingblock-content-wrapper"><tr><td class="stylingblock-content-wrapper camarker-inner"><!-- SECTION HEADING -->
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									Our Well Informed column</h2></td></tr></table></td></tr></table><!-- //SECTION HEADING --></td></tr></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" role="presentation" style="min-width: 100%; " class="stylingblock-content-wrapper"><tr><td class="stylingblock-content-wrapper camarker-inner"><!-- LARGE HEADLINE--><table align="center" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="max-width: 600px;" width="100%">
	
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								<h1 role="heading" style="margin: 0px; font-family: EconomistSerif, ui-serif, Georgia, Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 26px; font-weight: 500 !important; color: #0d0d0d; line-height: 32px; word-wrap: break-word">
									<span style="color:#0d0d0d;"><a   data-linkto="https://" href="https://click.e.economist.com/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5NDV9AAcAAAAABFEYF7fTQU4znWM5C-Zm_T3kRWTRH9QDf87JZ_NYgaCOsMFP5FFBYD98Oj_08QkpE9vphNV7zdQ3SwWjMZ2aAXNZSR1nfLFDDfGtHsg" style="color:#000000;text-decoration:none;" title="">Should you microdose GLP-1 drugs for weight loss?</a></span></h1></td></tr></table></td></tr></table><!-- //LARGE HEADLINE --><table align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="max-width: 600px;" width="100%">
	
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									<i><i><a   data-linkto="https://" href="https://click.e.economist.com/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5NDV9AAcAAAAABFEYF7fUqKuFrpmEzn67UbKaRJbPOYWX8uxuCgBQTyZpmTNNyqb9_o8vgodJG8iQ4jYf1z5Vuva7bSp8fkdre-z4YIQkHV_tbZEHJJU" style="color:#000000;text-decoration:none;" title="The quest for the optimal amount of shut-eye">Possibly. But only under medical supervision</a></i></i></p></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr>
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									<small style=""><span style="font-size: 20px;">Few products have captured public interest as fast as GLP-1 receptor-agonist weight-loss drugs. But one unforeseen consequence of their popularity has been to create what is, in effect, one of the biggest off-label medical experiments ever. This is the rapid spread of &ldquo;microdosing&rdquo;: in other words, of taking less than the recommended amount.</span></small></p></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr>
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												<a   data-linkto="https://" href="https://click.e.economist.com/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5NDV9AAcAAAAABFEYF7fWYRnyimdIpahj5EKwrLydrDIwDPk62wwdqeB1J1Z-AR_-aGFofB_gYlOSirXgmHMGrC4f9SRt71TKNvywBvzF3-aZJU3Nneo" style="text-decoration:none;" title="Read the full article →"><span style="color: #0d0d0d;">Read the full article &rarr;</span></a></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table>
        
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									Picture of the week</h2></td></tr></table></td></tr></table><!-- //SECTION HEADING --></td></tr></table>
        
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								<span style="color: #595959; font-family: EconomistSans, system-ui, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; font-weight: 400; text-align: left; text-transform: uppercase;">photo:&nbsp;reuters</span></td></tr></table></td></tr></table><!-- //CAPTION --><!-- INTRO TEXT --><table align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="max-width: 600px;" width="100%">
	
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									Researchers have discovered a new contender for King of the Swingers in the Congo&rsquo;s Lomami National Park. The &ldquo;Likweli&rdquo; monkey lives in the high canopy and is distinguished by its orange lips and white marks around its eyes. It&rsquo;s the latest example of colobus&mdash;a type of monkey known for its lack of thumbs, black-and-white fur and appetite for leaves&mdash;and is the fifth new species identified in Africa in the past 75 years.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p></td></tr></table></td></tr></table><!-- //INTRO TEXT --></td></tr></table>
        
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									What our science journalists are reading</h2></td></tr></table></td></tr></table><!-- //SECTION HEADING --><!-- RELATED ARTICLES (5) --><table align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="max-width:600px;" width="100%">
	
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								▸</td><td class="serifLF" style="padding:0px 0px 12px 2px; font-weight:400;font-family:EconomistSerif, ui-serif, Georgia, Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size:20px; color:#121212; line-height:28px; text-align:left;" valign="top">
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									Neanderthals may have been just as smart as modern human peers&nbsp;(<i><a   data-linkto="https://" href="https://click.e.economist.com/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5NDV9AAcAAAAABFEYF7fXVnyajFVlPe530qk8TaMLuFOXdsJ3k4WYTEjnysf9uyK7dcnhgpGPlNX0BTxBQrfCuTDY5Ja5RFWWx1Nk2zQr2MbwZi4ov_E" style="text-decoration:none;" title="">Scientific American</a></i>)</p></td></tr><tr>
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								▸</td><td class="serifLF" style="padding:0px 0px 12px 2px; font-weight:400;font-family:EconomistSerif, ui-serif, Georgia, Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size:20px; color:#121212; line-height:28px; text-align:left;" valign="top">
								How to make an invisible drone (<i><a   data-linkto="https://" href="https://click.e.economist.com/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5NDV9AAcAAAAABFEYF7fYSXLQDLqNFLB_JwtlbeRxJdiLqaigG_jJrcnBx-uFRXS_xZVF_wzOr0ZcyynPSmSq1h6hLKlYq99N5bWc7oZ3JA4vYD20FKo" style="text-decoration:none;" title="">IEEE Spectrum</a></i>)</td></tr><tr>
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								▸</td><td class="serifLF" style="padding:0px 0px 12px 2px; font-weight:400;font-family:EconomistSerif, ui-serif, Georgia, Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size:20px; color:#121212; line-height:28px; text-align:left;" valign="top">
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									Fossil evidence indicates baby <i>T. rex</i> were tiny, but deadly (<i><a   data-linkto="https://" href="https://click.e.economist.com/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5NDV9AAcAAAAABFEYF7fZvnhwKt-L9Sf8GgEsJQiIJ2UCoN64uM-FLzpbjZkO4vACoRqNRiF6h9Fw_Ur99xf-wkRhDrxFmULGmRmwnQBG1G-fOpV46k0" style="text-decoration:none;" title="">Discover</a></i>)</p></td></tr><tr>
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								▸</td><td class="serifLF" style="padding:0px 0px 12px 2px; font-weight:400;font-family:EconomistSerif, ui-serif, Georgia, Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size:20px; color:#121212; line-height:28px; text-align:left;" valign="top">
								<p style="margin:0;">
									A plan to stop solar storms from sending us back to the Stone Age (<i><a   data-linkto="https://" href="https://click.e.economist.com/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5NDV9AAcAAAAABFEYF7faW0mi_UtYagnXofXXE6UlvIaDXllcYH3AbQqfVxeTShRJar2INYsLNZ_qUWRmYG4yCh8W1aIecXmsY-2vMzrz1kkWH7dLhn8" style="text-decoration:none;" title="">Wall Street Journal</a></i>)</p></td></tr></table></td></tr></table><!-- //RELATED ARTICLES (5) --></td></tr></table>
        
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