Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Animals
What gives frog tongues the gift of grab
Here’s what puts the grip in a frog’s high-speed strike: quick-change saliva and a tongue softer than a marshmallow.
- Life
Map of Zika virus reveals how it shifts as it matures
A cryo-electron microscopy map of immature Zika virus offers a never-before-seen glimpse of remodeling of the virus’s protein and RNA core.
- Health & Medicine
Rogue antibody linked to severe second dengue infections
Alternate antibody may indicate whether someone is susceptible to severe dengue disease.
- Life
Why salmonella doesn’t want you to poop out
Salmonella bacteria fight infection-driven losses in appetite to keep hosts just healthy enough for transmission.
- Anthropology
Snooze patterns vary across cultures, opening eyes to evolution of sleep
Sleep plays out differently across cultures, but a consistent cycle of z’s and activity appears crucial.
- Plants
Big genetics study blazes path for bringing back tomato flavor
Combining taste tests with genetics suggests what makes heirloom varieties tastier than mass-market tomatoes.
- Life
Mouse cells grown in rats cure diabetes in mice
Mixing cells of two species produces pig and cattle embryos with some human cells.
- Animals
Endings make way for new beginnings for Earth and SN
Editor in chief Eva Emerson discusses major changes for life on Earth and at Science News.
- Animals
Readers weigh in on mathematical animals and more
Animal math, dinosaur digestion and more in reader feedback from our December 10, 2017, issue.
- Earth
Devastation detectives try to solve dinosaur disappearance
Dinosaurs and others faced massive losses 66 million years ago from an asteroid impact, volcanic eruptions or maybe a mix of the two.
- Paleontology
With dinosaurs out of the way, mammals had a chance to thrive
The animals that lived through the great extinction event had a range of survival strategies to get them through.
- Life
Some lucky birds escaped dino doomsday
Dino doomsday took out early birds too, but a lucky few survived.
