Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
Lungs enlist immune cells to fight infections in capillaries
Immune cells in the lungs provide a rapid counterattack to bloodstream infections, a new study in mice finds.
- Neuroscience
Nerve cell miswiring linked to depression
A gene helps nerve cell axons extend to parts of the brain to deliver serotonin, a brain chemical associated with depression.
- Climate
Ocean acidification may hamper food web’s nitrogen-fixing heroes
A new look at marine Trichodesmium microbes suggests trouble for nitrogen fixation in an acidifying ocean.
- Genetics
Ancient DNA bucks tale of how the horse was tamed
DNA from ancient horses reveals early domestication involved plenty of stallions.
- Life
How a mushroom gets its glow
For the first time, biologists have pinpointed the compound that lights up in fungal bioluminescence.
- Life
How a mushroom gets its glow
For the first time, biologists have pinpointed the compound that lights up in fungal bioluminescence.
- Animals
The scales of the ocellated lizard are surprisingly coordinated
The mazelike patterns of the ocellated lizard’s skin follow a set of rules from computer science.
- Animals
Dog DNA study maps breeds across the world
Here are five findings from a massive study of dog breed genomes.
- Animals
How a dolphin eats an octopus without dying
An octopus’s tentacles can kill a dolphin — or a human — when eaten alive. But wily dolphins in Australia have figured out how to do this safely.
- Animals
Beetles have been mooching off insect colonies for millions of years
The behavior, called social parasitism, has been going on for about 100 million years.
- Life
Immune cells play surprising role in steady heartbeat
Immune system cells called macrophages help heart cells rhythmically contract, maintaining the beat of mice’s hearts.
- Neuroscience
Brain gains seen in elderly mice injected with human umbilical cord plasma
Plasma from human umbilical cord blood refreshes aspects of learning and memory in mice.
