News

  1. Genetics

    Neandertal legacy written in Europeans’ fat metabolism

    DNA inherited from Neandertal interbreeding may have helped people adjust to Europe’s environment.

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  2. Animals

    Zebra stripes may be mainly defense against flies

    The function of zebra stripes may not be for camouflage or cooling, a new analysis finds.

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  3. Materials Science

    Light filter lets rays through from only one direction

    Angle-sensitive light filter could improve photography, telescopes and solar energy harvesting.

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  4. Neuroscience

    Ten thousand neurons linked to behaviors in fly

    By studying the wiggles of 37,780 fly larvae, scientists link specific neurons to 29 distinct behaviors.

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  5. Humans

    Childhood program improves health 30 years later

    A preschool intervention for kids from poor families benefits their health as adults, especially among men.

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  6. Life

    First chromosome made synthetically from yeast

    Work with yeast marks the first time scientists have synthesized a chromosome from organisms with complex cells and represents a major step toward lab-created eukaryotic life.

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  7. Planetary Science

    Icy rings found around tiny space rock

    Astronomers discover an icy ring around the planetoid Chariklo, held in place by unseen moons.

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  8. Neuroscience

    Scans suggest how the mind solves ethical dilemmas

    Brain scans suggest how the mind solves a moral dilemma.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    Early treatment may stave off esophageal cancer

    Zapping precancerous tissue in patients with Barrett’s esophagus might reduce incidence of cancer.

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  10. Humans

    Former baseball players have big, strong bones in old age

    Decades later, health benefits of exercise persist in male athletes’ bones.

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  11. Climate

    Kangaroo gut microbes make eco-friendly farts

    Understanding kangaroos’ low-methane flatulence could help researchers lower greenhouse gas emissions from livestock.

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  12. Animals

    A parasitic cuckoo can be a good thing

    Great spotted cuckoo chicks show that brood parasites may benefit their hosts.

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