Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Neuroscience
Rats can navigate mazes, even when blind
Blind rats can learn to navigate with a compass and microchip prosthetic wired into their brains. Similar devices may one day help humans have super senses.
- Animals
Fossilized seashells’ true colors revealed
To the naked eye, fossilized seashells lack the colorful patterns of their living counterparts. But ultraviolet light can reveal some of their unique hues.
- Animals
Heat makes scuttling tarantulas less coordinated
On hot days, tarantula run faster, but their may be harder to bend and flex at high speeds, researchers find.
- Health & Medicine
A more accurate prenatal test to predict Down syndrome
A test to detect genetic problems such as Down syndrome examines a baby’s DNA in the mother’s blood and may limit the need for more invasive screening.
- Animals
How human activities may be creating coywolves
Endangered red wolves will mate with coyotes when their partners are killed, which often happens because of human activities, a new study finds.
- Animals
Songbird crosses the Atlantic in a nonstop flight
Using light-sensing geolocators, researchers confirm an iconic songbird’s impressive transoceanic migration.
- Microbes
Some superbugs lurk in Britain’s surf
In Great Britain’s coastal waters, surfers and swimmers are exposed to low levels of drug-resistant E. coli, a new study finds.
- Humans
Egg-meet-sperm moments are equal opportunities for girls and boys
Despite previous claims, equal numbers of male and female embryos are conceived, new data suggest.
- Environment
Fracking chemicals can alter mouse development
Hormone-disrupting chemicals used in fracking fluid cause developmental changes in mice, new experiments show.
- Science & Society
White House unveils strategy against antibiotic resistance
The Obama Administration has launched a long-term plan to curb antibiotic resistance, unveiling incentives and requirements designed to boost surveillance and diagnosis of resistant microbes.
- Animals
Panda stalking reveals panda hangouts
Scientists used GPS trackers to learn about the giant panda lifestyle.
- Life
Bright bird plumage resulted from natural, sexual selection
Darwin hypothesized that bird color differences resulted from sexual selection. Wallace disagreed. A study shows that both were right after all.
