Life
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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Climate
Galápagos waters preview future for corals
Posthumous analysis of Galápagos coral reefs reveals how climate change, carbon dioxide and pollution could kill off reefs worldwide by 2050.
By Beth Mole - Animals
‘Bag of chips effect’ helps bats find a meal
Bats get a clue to where dinner is by listening to peers attacking prey.
- Health & Medicine
New antibiotic candidate shows promise
Tests in lab dishes and mice suggest an experimental compound called teixobactin can kill staph, TB microbes and other bacteria.
By Nathan Seppa - Animals
How many wildebeest? Ask a satellite
High-resolution satellite imagery could offer a reliable way to count large mammals in open habitats from space.
- Neuroscience
PET scans hint at brain’s reorganization after injury
Imaging monkeys’ brains after strokelike injury is giving scientists clues to how neurons reorganize themselves so the animals can move again.
- Animals
Bowhead whales may unlock the secrets to a long, healthy life
Analyzing the genome of the bowhead whale may help scientists understand how the animals live for more than 200 years.
- Animals
Little African cats need big parks
Protecting African wildcats requires large protected areas free of feral cats to avoid the risk of the wild species disappearing through hybridization.
- Animals
White-nose syndrome messes with bats’ metabolisms
Bats with the deadly white-nose syndrome use twice as much fat for energy as their healthy companions in winter months.
- Life
Cold coddles colds
Antiviral responses aren’t as effective against common cold viruses in cooler temperatures.
- Animals
Why ground squirrels go ninja over nothing
Ground squirrels twist and dodge fast enough to have a decent chance of escaping rattlesnake attacks.
By Susan Milius - Ecosystems
Lessons for the new year
SN Editor in Chief, Eva Emerson, reflects on looking to nature for insights on how to constructively look ahead - even if just a year -drawing from a handful of this issues natural science stories for her 2015 resolutions.
By Eva Emerson - Neuroscience
Cold War collaboration probed possible viral cause of ALS
A mid-1960s collaboration between American and Soviet researchers explored a possible viral cause of ALS.
By Beth Mole