Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Animals
How spiders mastered spin control
Scientists reveal a new twist on the unusual properties of spider silk.
- Animals
One creature’s meal is another’s pain in the butt
Kelp and dolphin gulls in Patagonia have found a new food source. But they accidentally injure fur seal pups to get it.
- Paleontology
Giant armored dinosaur may have cloaked itself in camouflage
An armored dinosaur the size of a Honda Civic also wore countershading camouflage, a chemical analysis of its skin suggests.
- Life
Light pollution can foil plant-insect hookups, and not just at night
Upsetting nocturnal pollinators has daylight after-effects for Swiss meadow flowers.
- Genetics
Gene editing of human embryos gets rid of a mutation that causes heart failure
Gene editing of human embryos can efficiently repair a gene defect without making new mistakes.
- Plants
A new portrait of the world’s first flower is unveiled
A reconstruction of the first flowers suggests the ancient blooms were bisexual.
- Animals
Newly discovered lymph hydraulics give tunas their fancy moves
There’s still some anatomy to discover in fishes as familiar as bluefin and yellowfin tunas.
- Neuroscience
Mice with a mutation linked to autism affect their littermates’ behavior
Genetically normal littermates of mutated mice behave strangely, suggesting that the social environment plays a big role in behavior.
- Genetics
Tardigrades aren’t champion gene swappers after all
Genetic studies reveal more secrets of the bizarre creatures known as tardigrades.
- Materials Science
Slug slime inspires a new type of surgical glue
A new glue that mimics a slug’s mucus secretions sticks well, even when wet. The adhesive could be used in place of sutures or staples in surgeries.
- Anthropology
Ancient DNA offers clues to the Canaanites’ fate
DNA is painting a more detailed portrait of the ancient Canaanites, who have largely been studied through the secondhand accounts of their contemporaries.
- Genetics
50 years ago, diabetic mice offered hope for understanding human disease
Mice described in 1967 are still helping researchers understand diabetes.
