Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Animals
Bats jam each other in echolocation battles for food
By blaring a special call at just the right instant, Mexican free-tailed bats can ruin each other’s sonar-guided swoops toward prey.
- Psychology
With a tap on the back, researchers create ghostly sensation
Experimentally induced illusion probes supernatural experiences, hallucinations.
- Paleontology
Ancient sea creature took to land and sea
A primitive relative of the ichthyosaur had strong bones and big flippers.
- Health & Medicine
Snakebite test correctly IDs attackers in Nepal
A new test that swabs for traces of snake DNA around bite marks can identify the guilty serpent and may improve treatments.
- Genetics
Genes influence Ebola’s impact
A study in a diverse strain of mice shows how the effect of an Ebola infection can depend on genes.
- Animals
‘Animal Weapons’ examines evolution of natural armor
Biological arms races have led to the evolution of horns, tusks and other extreme armament in the natural world.
- Life
Ebola virus edits its own genetic material
Both the Ebola and Marburg viruses edit their genetic material when infecting cells. The viruses may make proteins currently unknown to scientists.
- Animals
Hermit thrushes, humans share some musical basics
The melodious birds share a humanlike bias for notes mathematically related by simple integers.
- Life
Gut microbes less diverse in humans than in apes
An analysis of gut bacteria shows that humans have evolved to possess less diversity in microbe populations.
- Animals
Dog disease threatens Siberian tigers
Canine distemper virus poses a particular danger to small groups of the big cats.
- Life
Hummingbirds take stab at rivals with dagger-tipped bills
Sharp points on the bills of male long-billed hermit hummingbirds may have evolved as weaponry.
- Animals
Remote-controlled rover doesn’t spook penguins
Remote-controlled rovers get close to skittish penguins without bothering them; a chick disguise wins over the wariest birds.
