Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Neuroscience
Year in review: Memories vulnerable to manipulation
New experimental results in 2014 helped bring scientists closer to understanding how the brain manipulates memories to make sense of the world.
- Neuroscience
Cocoa antioxidant sweetens cognition in elderly
Very high doses of antioxidants found in cocoa may prevent some types of cognitive decline in older adults. But that’s not an excuse to eat more chocolate.
- Neuroscience
Year in review: Young blood aids old brains
Ingredients in young blood can rejuvenate old mice’s bodies and brains, scientists reported in 2014.
- Genetics
Domestication did horses no genetic favors
Horses bear the cost of domestication in the form of harmful genetic variants, a study of equine DNA finds.
- Animals
The dinosaurs in the backyard
Chickens are some of the closest relatives of dinosaurs, and though genetic tinkering the birds might even one day be turned into tiny dinos.
- Genetics
Year in review: Genes linked to tameness
A look at the genes of domesticated animals offers possible insights into why taming has altered animals’ appearances.
- Animals
Year in review: Insect, bird evolution revisited
Insects got an entirely new family tree after an extensive genetic analysis rearranged the creatures' relations.
- Genetics
Year in review: Easy stem cells a no go
An incredibly easy method for making stem cells turned out to be impossible, again tainting the stem cell research field with controversy.
- Life
Images reveal secrets of zinc sparks
These sparks are created when billions of zinc atoms shoot from thousands of small pouches nestled just beneath the surface of a mouse egg cell.
- Life
Source of sperm and egg’s zinc sparks identified
Detailed imaging reveals the origin of zinc sparks that fly when egg meets sperm in mammals.
- Neuroscience
Year in review: The nose knows a trillion odors
Humans can suss out more than 1 trillion different smells, a 2014 study estimated.
- Archaeology
Year in review: Roster of dinosaurs expands
With the discovery of several new species and a few dogma-shaking revelations, dinosaurs got a total rethink in 2014.
