Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Climate
Higher temperatures could trigger an uptick in damselfly cannibalism
Experiments in the lab suggest that increases in temperature could indirectly lead to an increase in cannibalistic damselfly nymphs.
- Animals
Blennies have a lot of fang for such little fishes
Unlike snakes, blennies evolved fangs before venom, through probably not because of any need to hunt big prey.
- Genetics
Jumping genes play a big role in what makes us human
Jumping genes have been a powerful force in human evolution.
- Animals
Watch male cuttlefish fight over a female in the wild
For the first time, researchers have observed the competitive mating behaviors of the European cuttlefish in the field.
- Genetics
Selfish genes hide for decades in plain sight of worm geneticists
Crossing wild Hawaiian C. elegans with the familiar lab strain reveals genes that benefit themselves by making mother worms poison offspring who haven’t inherited the right stuff.
- Paleontology
Ancient whale tells tale of when baleen whales had teeth
A 36 million-year-old whale fossil bridges the gap between ancient toothy predators and modern filter-feeding baleen whales.
- Animals
Why create a model of mammal defecation? Because everyone poops
Mammals that defecate in the same fashion as humans all excrete waste within the same time frame, no matter their size, a new study finds.
- Health & Medicine
Breast cancer cells spread in an already-armed mob
Source tumors may already contain the mutations that drive aggressive cancer spread.
- Health & Medicine
New rules for cellular entry may aid antibiotic development
A new study lays out several rules to successfully enter gram-negative bacteria, which could lead to the development of sorely needed antibiotics.
- Paleontology
‘Baby Louie’ dinosaur identified as a new species
A fossil embryo known as Baby Louie has been identified as a new species of dinosaur called Beibeilong sinensis.
- Animals
Seabirds use preening to decide how to divvy up parenting duties
Seabirds in poor condition may communicate this information to their partner by delaying or withholding preening.
- Animals
In Florida, they’re fighting mosquitoes by meddling with their sex lives
As an alternative to genetically modified mosquitoes, Florida skeeter police are testing one of two strategies that use bacteria to meddle with insect sex lives.
