Life
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Animals
It’s an herbivore-kill-herbivore world
Female prairie dogs killing babies of another species might keep competitors off the grass.
By Susan Milius -
Neuroscience
Brain holds more than one road to fear
A study on rare patients suggests that fear can take many paths through the brain.
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Animals
Female burying beetle uses chemical cue to douse love life
While raising their young, burying beetle mothers produce a chemical compound that limits their male partner’s desire to mate.
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Science & Society
Everything you ever wanted to know about hair — and then some
'Hair: A Human History' details the surprising role hair has played in human history.
By Meghan Rosen -
Animals
Spider diet goes way beyond insects
Veggie-eating spiders have been found on every continent except Antarctica, a new study notes.
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Paleontology
How to tell if a T. rex is expecting
A “pregnancy” test for tyrannosaurs relies on chemical analyses of medullary bone, a reproductive tissue found in female birds.
By Meghan Rosen -
Humans
Pacific islanders got a double whammy of Stone Age DNA
Neandertal and Denisovan genes influence the health of present-day Melanesians.
By Bruce Bower -
Life
How Paralympic sprinters lose speed on curves
Amputee runners may lose more speed on curves when the leg on the inside of the curve is the one bearing a prosthetic, a biomechanics study finds.
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Health & Medicine
Efforts to control mosquitoes take on new urgency
The major mosquito that is spreading Zika virus has quirks that make it one of the toughest to fight.
By Susan Milius -
Neuroscience
Lost memories retrieved for mice with signs of Alzheimer’s
Using light, scientists coaxed a forgotten memory from the brains of mice with Alzheimer’s-like symptoms.
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Paleontology
True nature of ‘Tully monster’ revealed
The identity of a 300-million-year-old enigmatic creature known as the “Tully monster” is a mystery no longer.
By Meghan Rosen -
Animals
Plain ol’ Texas rat snakes basically match vipers for speed
Rattlesnakes and other vipers are not the fastest fangs in the West.
By Susan Milius