Life

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Animals

    Here’s how geckos (almost) walk on water

    New high-speed video reveals how geckos use a hybrid walking-swimming gait in water to reach speeds similar to those on land.

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  2. Genetics

    A 5,000-year-old mass grave harbors the oldest plague bacteria ever found

    DNA from an ancient strain of the plague-causing bacterium could help uncover the origins of the deadly disease.

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  3. Animals

    Pea aphid youngsters use piggyback rides to escape a crisis

    When some mammal is about to munch their plant, aphids drop to the ground and youngsters want a ride to safety.

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  4. Science & Society

    Seeking a panacea in the gut’s microbiome

    Editor in Chief Nancy Shute discusses the potential role of the gut microbiome in Parkinson's disease and one reporter's connection to the story.

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  5. Physics

    Readers inquire about a Neptune-sized moon, nuclear pasta and more

    Readers had questions about a Neptune-sized moon, nuclear pasta and the search for extraterrestrial life.

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  6. Animals

    Rebel honeybee workers lay eggs when their queen is away

    A honeybee queen’s absence in the colony triggers some workers to turn queen-like and lay eggs, sometimes in other colonies.

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  7. Life

    How some sap-sucking insects fling their pee

    Sharpshooters hurl their pee with structure called a stylus, which sends droplets flying at 20 times the acceleration of Earth’s gravity.

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  8. Life

    These new tweezers let scientists do biopsies on living cells

    Nanotweezers that can pluck molecules from cells without killing them could enable real-time analysis of the insides of healthy and diseased cells.

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  9. Life

    Dads, not just moms, can pass along mitochondrial DNA

    Data from three families suggest that in rare cases children can inherit mitochondria from their fathers.

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  10. Environment

    An acid found in soil may make a disease killing deer less infectious

    An incurable neurodegenerative disease crippling North American deer, elk and moose may be thwarted by an organic soil compound.

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  11. Animals

    A jumping spider mom nurses her brood for weeks on milk

    Even after spiderlings start hunting for themselves, they come to mom for milk.

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  12. Neuroscience

    Zaps to a certain spot in the brain may ease depression

    When implanted electrodes stimulated a brain region just behind the eyes, people’s spirits were raised immediately.

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