Life

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

More Stories in Life

  1. Paleontology

    A fossil reveals early relatives of spiders — armed with claws

    A Utah fossil shows early relatives of spiders and scorpions already had distinctive front claws 500 million years ago.

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  2. Animals

    Secrets of the Bees zooms in on life in a hive

    A new documentary available on Disney+ and Hulu appeals to our sense of wonder to highlight why bees need saving.

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  3. Animals

    How snakes defy gravity to stand tall

    Limbless tree snakes can lift most of their body into the air without toppling. They manage this by focusing all their bending forces at their base.

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  4. Animals

    Watch the first video of a sperm whale birth captured by scientists

    In a sperm whale birth recorded in more intimate detail than ever before, local whales huddled around the mother and lifted the calf to the surface.

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  5. Paleontology

    Early apes may not have evolved in East Africa

    Fossil jaw remains found in Egypt suggest that the earliest modern apes evolved in North Africa, not in East Africa where most fossils have been found.

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  6. Animals

    When were dogs domesticated? The oldest known dog DNA offers clues

    Two new studies suggest that genetically stable dogs were living among humans in Europe by about 14,000 years ago.

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  7. Neuroscience

    Clumps of mouse brain cells can learn to play a virtual game

    Sure, playing video game is fun. But the ability of tiny brain organoids to pick up a skill could provide insight into how healthy brains work.

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  8. Physics

    These insects fly with their legs. Physics explains how

    Phantom crane flies change the angle of their splayed legs to increase or reduce drag, helping them navigate varying winds.

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  9. Animals

    Female giant rainforest mantises grow up to strike harder than males

    Scientists tracked mantis strike force from youth to adulthood, showing females eventually hit far harder than males. Why is a mystery.

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