Life
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Genetics
How chemical exposure early in life is ‘like a ticking time bomb’
Some early life experiences can affect health, but only if unmasked by events in adulthood.
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Health & Medicine
NASA’s Twins Study reveals effects of space on Scott Kelly’s health
Ten research groups studying the twin astronauts found long-term spaceflight can alter a person’s physiology and gene activity.
By Jeremy Rehm -
Health & Medicine
Ketamine cultivates new nerve cell connections in mice
In mice, ketamine prods nerve cells to connect, which may explain the hallucinogenic drug’s ability to ease depression.
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Climate
Climate change made the Arctic greener. Now parts of it are turning brown.
Arctic browning could have far-reaching consequences for people and wildlife, affecting habitat and atmospheric carbon uptake as well as increasing wildfire risk.
By Hannah Hoag -
Neuroscience
Our brains sculpt each other. So why do we study them in isolation?
Studying individual brains may not be the way to figure out the human mind, a social neuroscientist argues.
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Health & Medicine
When an older person’s brain waves are in sync, memory is boosted
A brain stimulation treatment that nudges older people’s brain waves into sync could lead to noninvasive therapies for dementia and other disorders.
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Genetics
Here are 5 RNAs that are stepping out of DNA’s shadow
RNAs do a lot more than act as middlemen for protein building. Here are a few of the ways they affect your health and disease.
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Paleontology
Peruvian fossils yield a four-legged otterlike whale with hooves
A newly discovered species of ancient whale unearthed in Peru split time between land and sea.
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Health & Medicine
Testing mosquito pee could help track the spread of diseases
A new way to monitor the viruses that wild mosquitoes are spreading passes its first outdoor test.
By Susan Milius -
Life
50 years ago, scientists were unlocking the secrets of bacteria-infecting viruses
In 1969, a bacteria-infecting virus held promise for unlocking the secrets of viral replication. Fifty years later, the virus is a versatile tool for scientists.
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Life
How emus and ostriches lost the ability to fly
Changes in regulatory DNA, rather than mutations to genes themselves, grounded some birds, a study finds.
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Animals
Cats recognize their own names
A new study suggests that cats can tell their names apart from other spoken words.