Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Animals
Camouflaged fish found hiding in plain sight
Rockpool gobies change color depending on their background.
- Health & Medicine
Feedback
Readers discuss methods to prevent sepsis and whether genes are thrifty, while Tina Saey clears up some confusion regarding Ebola's airborne status.
- Microbes
Microbes can redeem themselves to fight disease
With some genetic engineering, bacteria can morph from bad to good and help attack invading cancer cells.
- Animals
Hearing awful or great singing changes birds’ choice
A male bird’s serenade inspires reactions that depend on the quality of songs a female has been listening to.
- Health & Medicine
Jet lag affects gut microbes
Jet-lagged bacteria in the gut impair mice’s metabolism, causing obesity and diabetes-related problems.
- Animals
French flamingos froze to death without freezing
Cold snaps in 1985 and 2012 starved flamingos by the thousands in southern France.
- Paleontology
Extinct giant kangaroos tiptoed one leg at a time
Stiff spines, flared hips and other fossil clues suggest extinct, refrigerator-sized kangaroos stepped one hind leg at a time instead of hopping.
- Animals
A stressful youth makes for a devoted finch dad
Stress is generally thought to be a bad thing. But a new study shows that under certain conditions, a stressful childhood could make a zebra finch a better father.
- Genetics
House fly’s genome hints at detox genes
The house fly's DNA instructions include extra genes that may help detoxify and decompose animal waste.
- Animals
Quick-moving toads take the straight and narrow path
Cane toads at the front line of an invasion in Australia have evolved to move in straighter paths than those left behind.
- Health & Medicine
Impotence drug boosts insulin in some with diabetes
A drug called yohimbine lets some people with diabetes secrete more insulin by stopping pancreas cells from binding adrenaline molecules.
- Genetics
Yeast smell underpins partnership with fruit flies
Yeast make fruity aromas that draw flies, which disperse the fungi. Researchers reveal the gene that underpins the mutually beneficial relationship.
