Life

  1. Health & Medicine

    CRISPR gene editing relieves muscular dystrophy symptoms in dogs

    Scientists have used CRISPR’s molecular scissors in beagle puppies to repair a genetic mutation that causes muscular dystrophy.

    By Laurel Hamers
  2. Animals

    Naked mole-rats eat the poop of their queen for parenting cues

    Hormones in the naked mole-rat queen’s poop turn subordinate nest-mates into surrogate parents.

    By Laurel Hamers
  3. Animals

    There’s method in a firefly’s flashes

    Fireflies use their flashing lights for mating and maybe even to ward away predators.

    By Leah Rosenbaum
  4. Life

    We may now know when hand, foot and mouth disease outbreaks will occur

    Birthrates and immunity rates predict the spread of viruses that cause hand, foot and mouth disease.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  5. Neuroscience

    How antibodies attack the brain and muddle memory

    Human antibodies that target key brain proteins cause memory trouble when delivered into mice’s brains.

    By Laura Sanders
  6. Humans

    Meet the first known child of a Neandertal and a Denisovan

    DNA analysis of a bone fragment reveals Neandertal movements between Siberia and western Europe.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  7. Anthropology

    A fossil mistaken for a bat may shake up lemurs’ evolutionary history

    On Madagascar, a type of lemur called aye-ayes may have a singular evolutionary history.

    By Bruce Bower
  8. Genetics

    Americans support genetically engineering animals for people’s health

    Genetically engineering animals is OK with Americans if it improves human health, a new poll reveals.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  9. Ecosystems

    A freshwater, saltwater tug-of-war is eating away at the Everglades

    Saltwater is winning in the Everglades as sea levels rise and years of redirecting freshwater flow to support agriculture and population growth

    By Carolyn Gramling
  10. Life

    How salamanders can regrow nearly complete tails but lizards can’t

    Differences in stem cells in the spinal cord explain the amphibians’ ability.

    By Leah Rosenbaum
  11. Tech

    Here’s what robots could learn from fire ants

    Fire ants’ secret to success is prioritizing efficiency over fairness. Robot teams could use that strategy to work more efficiently in tight, crowded quarters.

    By Maria Temming
  12. Life

    More than 2 billion people lack safe drinking water. That number will only grow.

    By 2050, half the world’s population may no longer have safe water to drink or grow food. What then?

    By Alexandra Witze