Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Science & Society
Learning is a ubiquitous, mysterious phenomenon
Acting Editor in Chief Elizabeth Quill talks about the science of learning and how our brains process new knowledge.
- Climate
Rising temperatures threaten heat-tolerant aardvarks
Aardvarks may get a roundabout hit from climate change — less food.
- Health & Medicine
Zika could one day help combat deadly brain cancer
The Zika virus targets cells that cause glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, studies in human cells and mice show.
- Neuroscience
Learning takes brain acrobatics
Brains that learn best seem able to reconfigure themselves on the fly, a new line of research suggests.
- Animals
This sea snake looks like a banana and hunts like a Slinky
A newly identified sea snake subspecies is known to live in a single gulf off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
- Health & Medicine
FDA approves gene therapy to treat a rare cancer
The Food and Drug Administration has approved Kymriah to treat a rare cancer. It’s the first-ever gene therapy approved in the United States.
- Genetics
Muscle pain in people on statins may have a genetic link
Many people stop taking cholesterol drugs because of aches, but it has been unclear if the drugs are at fault.
- Animals
Invasive earthworms may be taking a toll on sugar maples
Sugar maple trees in the Upper Great Lakes region are more likely to have dying branches when there are signs of an earthworm invasion, a new study finds.
- Animals
Bones reveal what it was like to grow up dodo
Scientists take a first look at the inside of dodo bones.
- Life
How horses lost their toes
Fossils reveal that as horses evolved to have fewer toes, they also got stronger and faster.
- Genetics
If you’re 35 or younger, your genes can predict whether the flu vaccine will work
A set of nine genes predicted an effective response to the flu vaccine in young people, no matter the strains.
- Life
Wild yeasts are brewing up batches of trendy beers
Wild beer studies are teaching scientists and brewers about the tropical fruit smell and sour taste of success.
