Life

  1. Life

    Neandertal genes point to interbreeding, inbreeding

    DNA from 50,000 years ago underscores modest levels of mating across hominid populations.

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  2. Animals

    Snake and lizard ancestor may have birthed live young

    Over millions of years, reptiles may have switched back and forth between laying eggs and giving birth to live babies.

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  3. Microbes

    A newfound respect for the microbial world

    Despite what many people think about humans’ place in the scheme of things, scientists are finding more evidence that we live in a world of microbes.

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  4. Science & Society

    Feedback

    Science policy and sleep get a deeper review.

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  5. Life

    Nicotine may damage arteries

    Other chemicals in cigarettes may not be to blame.

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  6. Animals

    China trumps Near East for signs of most ancient farm cats

    Earliest evidence found for grain as a force in feline domestication.

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  7. Chemistry

    Ancient bond holds life together, literally

    The chemical link between sulfur and nitrogen in animal tissues and organs may have sparked the assembly of single cells into complex animals.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Dog dust may benefit infant immune systems

    Microbes from pet-owning houses protected mice against allergy, infection.

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  9. Animals

    Protecting wildlife with legal hunting is a complicated issue

    Trophy hunting is legal in some African nations, but making the system work can be difficult, especially when data is lacking on how many animals exist.

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  10. Neuroscience

    The Aesthetic Brain

    How We Evolved to Desire Beauty and Enjoy Art by Anjan Chatterjee.

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  11. Animals

    A gory 12 days of Christmas

    Insects and spiders are among the biggest gift-givers, often as part of mating, and anything from cyanide to a wad of saliva can be a present.

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  12. Genetics

    You are what your dad ate, perhaps

    Your development is affected by what your mother ate while she was pregnant with you. Is it also affected by what your father ate? A new study suggests that folate deficiency in dads can affect their offspring through epigenetic changes.

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