Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Genetics
DNA architecture, novel forensics offer new clues
Going from theory to practice is always rife with problems, be it shifting from the sequence of DNA’s letters to observing its dynamic machinations or from an identity marker in the lab to a piece of courtroom evidence.
- Humans
Moon bounces, bad spider leaders and more reader feedback
Readers debate faith's role in evolution, compare politicians to spiders and more.
- Chemistry
Wanted: Crime-solving bacteria and body odor
Forensic investigators are moving past old-school sleuthing to analyze microbes and odors that tell a more complete story, while pursuing ways to enhance traditional tools as well.
- Health & Medicine
Blood test can predict breast cancer relapse
Blood tests for breast cancer DNA can predict relapse.
- Animals
Twin pandas look forward to growth spurts
The surviving panda twin born at the National Zoo last weekend will undergo DNA tests to discover paternity.
- Animals
A world of mammal diversity has been lost because of humans
Humans have eradicated large mammal biodiversity in most regions of the globe, a new study finds.
- Health & Medicine
Virus closely related to hepatitis A discovered in seals
Scientists have discovered a relative of the hepatitis A virus in seals.
- Animals
Long-tongued fly sips from afar
Long-tongued flies can dabble in shallow blossoms or reach into flowers with roomier nectar tubes.
- Animals
Chimps keep numbers high as forest losses mount
African apes show surprising resilience in face of forest destruction.
- Animals
Chimps keep numbers high as forest losses mount
African apes show surprising resilience in face of forest destruction.
- Neuroscience
Altered protein makes mice smarter
By tweaking a single gene, scientists have turned average mice into supersmart daredevils.
- Genetics
The human genome takes shape and shifts over time
Scientists are mapping and modeling the 4-D human genome to get beyond its linear structure.
