Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Neuroscience
‘Silent’ cells play a surprising role in how brains work
New studies show that astrocytes, long thought to be support cells in the brain, are crucial intermediaries for relaying messages to neurons.
- Animals
Bedbugs may have been one of the first urban pests
Common bedbugs experienced a dramatic jump in population size about 13,000 years ago, around the time humans congregated in the first cities.
- Life
The first cicada concert was 47 million years ago
A 47-million-year-old cicada fossil from Germany’s Messel Pit could teach us about the evolution of insect communication.
- Paleontology
Sloths once came in a dizzying array of sizes. Here’s why
A new fossil and DNA analysis traces how dozens of sloth species responded to climate shifts and humans. Just two small tree-dwelling sloths remain today.
- Climate
Penguin poop gives Antarctic cloud formation a boost
Penguin poop provides ammonia for cloud formation in coastal Antarctica, potentially helping to mitigate the impacts of climate change in the region.
- Animals
Juvenile capuchins are kidnapping infants of another monkey species
Over 15 months on Jicarón Island, researchers saw five capuchin juveniles abduct 11 endangered howler monkey infants — all for no clear purpose.
- Animals
A ‘talking’ ape’s death signals the end of an era
Kanzi showed apes have the capacity for language, but in recent years scientists have questioned the ethics of ape experiments.
- Science & Society
Some science seems silly, but it’s still worthwhile
The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog contends that curiosity-driven research helps us understand the world and could lead to unexpected benefits.
- Genetics
What gene makes orange cats orange? Scientists figured it out
Researchers found the gene and genetic variation behind orange fur in most domestic cats, solving a decades-long mystery.
- Plants
Cryopreservation is not sci-fi. It may save plants from extinction
Not all plants can be stored in a seed bank. Cryopreservation offers an alternative, but critics question whether this form of conservation will work.
- Paleontology
This exquisite Archaeopteryx fossil reveals how flight took off in birds
Analyses unveiled never-before-seen feathers and bones from the first known bird, strengthening the case that Archaeopteryx could fly.
- Animals
Wild chimpanzees give first aid to each other
A study in Uganda shows how often chimps use medicinal plants and other forms of health care — and what that says about the roots of human medicine.
