Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Neuroscience
Main protein for sensing touch identified in mammals
A close look at how mice respond to touch has helped scientists pinpoint the protein, called Piezo2, that makes mammals feel the sensation.
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- Animals
Platypuses are full of mystery
With duck bills, webbed feet and venomous spikes, platypuses are one of the weirdest animals you’ll ever be lucky enough to see.
- Life
Tadpole eye transplant shows new way to grow nerves
Wiring replacement organs into the body may be as easy as discharging a biological battery, new experiments with tadpoles suggest.
- Science & Society
‘Race Unmasked’ explores science’s racial past, present
Eugenics is far behind us, but a health historian sees few reasons to believe science is postracial.
- Neuroscience
Dogs’ brains may process speech similar to humans’
When it comes to interpreting human speech, dogs may have brain-hemisphere biases similar to people’s.
- Animals
10 bites of turkey trivia for your holiday meal
Will turkeys really drown if they look up in a rainstorm? Can they fly? Where did the domestic turkey come from? Learn answers to these questions and more.
- Neuroscience
The molecular path of best resilience
Many studies focus on susceptibility to stress and how it triggers depression. But a new study highlights a protein important in resilience, showing that resisting stress takes work, too.
- Animals
Vulture guts are filled with noxious bacteria
Vultures’ guts are chock-full of bacteria that sicken other creatures.
- Genetics
Orchid genome may save highly endangered species
The sequenced genome of the orchid Phalaenopsis equestris offers some hints about a different form of photosynthesis and how the flowers of the plant got their specialized shape.
- Health & Medicine
Add high-fat diet to the ‘don’t’ list for pregnant moms
There’s always controversy over what to eat while pregnant. Four animal studies at this year’s Society for Neuroscience meeting bring together negative effects of high-fat diets.
- Genetics
Genes linked to feather development predate dinosaurs
The genes for feather development may have existed more than 100 million years before dinosaurs sported hints of the fluffy plumage.
