Life

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Genetics

    In 1967, LSD was briefly labeled a breaker of chromosomes

    Claims that the hallucinogenic drug damaged DNA were quickly rejected. But questions remain about how LSD works.

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  2. Animals

    Female guppies with bigger brains pick more attractive guys

    A larger-brained female guppy may pick primo males, but all that mental machinery costs her in other ways.

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  3. Paleontology

    Anatomy analysis suggests new dinosaur family tree

    A new analysis rewrites the dinosaur family tree, splitting up long-recognized groups.

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  4. Neuroscience

    Lab tests aren’t the answer for every science question

    Acting Editor in Chief Elizabeth Quill discusses the value of observational science.

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  5. Animals

    Colorful pinwheel puts a new spin on mouse pregnancy

    Among the winners of the 2017 Wellcome Image Awards is a rainbow of mouse placentas that shows how a mother’s immune system affects placental development.

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  6. Animals

    Tool use in sea otters doesn’t run in the family

    A genetic study suggests that tool-use behavior isn’t hereditary in sea otters, and that only some animals need to use tools due to the type of food available in their ecosystem.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    Cancer cells cast a sweet spell on the immune system

    Tumors have surface sugars that persuade the body’s defenses to look the other way. New therapies are being devised to break the trance.

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  8. Life

    Life on Earth may have begun as dividing droplets

    Chemical droplets could split and reproduce in the presence of an energy source, new computer simulations suggest.

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  9. Plants

    Genetic switch offers clue to why grasses are survival masters

    Scientists have identified a genetic switch that helps grasses regulate their carbon dioxide intake.

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  10. Paleontology

    Under lasers, a feathered dino shows some skin

    Laser-stimulated fluorescence reveals detailed images of soft tissue in a feathered dinosaur from 160 million years ago.

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  11. Animals

    Shocking stories tell tale of London Zoo’s founding

    In The Zoo, Isobel Charman pens a gripping narrative of the London Zoo’s early days, when workers had a hard time keeping animals alive.

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  12. Ecosystems

    A king snake’s strength is in its squeeze

    King snakes feast on other, larger snakes, perhaps thanks to superior constricting abilities, new research suggests.

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