News

Life

It’s true: Butterfly spots can mimic scary eyes

Contrary to recent studies, the old notion that butterfly wing eyespots evoke predator eyes may not be so old-fashioned after all.

Genetics

Anti-inflammation genes linked to longer lives

Inflammation-dampening genes fight oxidants and promote longer life spans.

Paleontology

Brontosaurus deserves its name, after all

Brontosaurus belongs in a genus separate from Apatosaurus, a new study proposes.

Neuroscience

Brains may be wired to count calories, make healthy choices

Fruit flies appear to make memories of the calories in the food they eat, an observation that may have implications for weight control in humans.

Animals

Mouse mates with similar personalities start families faster

Among monogamous mound-building mice, the more closely mates match in a tendency toward anxiety, the sooner they start having babies

Planetary Science

Minisatellites could detect dangerous asteroids, researchers propose

Five tiny telescopes orbiting the sun could provide early warning for an Earth-bound asteroid, though other researchers disagree.

Climate

Fewer cold snaps in the forecast

Rapid Arctic warming will reduce the frequency of cold snaps throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere, new research suggests.

Astronomy

Fountains of spewing gas provide look at megastar formation

Fountains of gas erupt from a young massive star, giving astronomers a play-by-play on how stellar heavyweights form.

Neuroscience

Rats can navigate mazes, even when blind

Blind rats can learn to navigate with a compass and microchip prosthetic wired into their brains. Similar devices may one day help humans have super senses.

Health & Medicine

Injured baby hearts may be coaxed to regenerate

Shots of a growth factor protein reduce cell death in infant mice with heart damage.

Anthropology

‘Little Foot’ pushes back age of earliest South African hominids

Study suggests Lucy’s species had a South African foil nearly 3.7 million years ago.

Earth

Plate loss gave chain of Pacific islands and seamounts a bend

The sinking Izanagi tectonic plate may have rerouted the mantle flow beneath the Pacific, halting the Hawaiian hot spot.