Notebook

Science & Society

Here’s what game theory says about how to win in semifinals

Game theory informs competitors facing off in a semifinal whether to go all out or save energy for the final.

Genetics

A billion years of evolution doesn’t change some genes

Human genes can substitute for 47 percent of essential genes in baker’s yeast, new research shows.

Animals

Pandas’ gut bacteria resemble carnivores’

Unlike other vegetarians, the bamboo eaters lack plant-digesting microbes.

Animals

Vampire squid take mommy breaks

The vampire squid again defies its sensationalist name with a life in the slow lane.

Astronomy

First quasar quartet discovered

A quartet of quasars seen in the early universe may mark where a massive galaxy cluster is starting to form.

Animals

Early research asked whether cats dream

Early research asked whether cats dream; researchers still don’t know definitively.

Astronomy

Erupting volcanoes may cause exoplanet’s temperature extremes

Temperatures fluctuate wildly on a nearby exoplanet, and volcanoes might be the culprit.

Paleontology

Oldest known avian relative of today’s birds found in China

Fossil find suggests modern birds’ oldest avian relative lived about 6 million years before previous record holder.

Plants

How slow plants make ridiculous seeds

Coco de mer palms scrimp, save and take not quite forever creating the world’s largest seeds.

Plants

Medfly control methods were ready for pest’s influx

50 years ago, researchers prepared to greet Mediterranean fruit flies with sterile males.

Ecosystems

Just 1 percent of Amazon’s trees hold half of its carbon

Roughly 1 percent of tree species in the Amazon rainforest account for half of the jungle’s carbon storage.

Neuroscience

Brain on display

In her online videos, Nancy Kanwisher goes where few other neuroscientists go.