Life

  1. Genetics

    Life at the Speed of Light

    Biology has come a long way from the days of mixing things in petri dishes and hoping something interesting happens. In his new book, Venter introduces readers to a future of precise biological engineering.

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  2. Animals

    Swimming dolphins don’t need to cheat

    Dolphins swimming through bubbles burst old notion of underpowered muscles.

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  3. Life

    V-flying birds pick efficient flapping pattern

    Ibises time their flaps to catch a boost from a neighbor’s wing.

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  4. Ecosystems

    Trees’ growth keeps climbing with age

    Older trees pack on weight faster, making them potentially the best carbon collectors.

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  5. Genetics

    Scorpion’s sting evolved from insects’ defensive proteins

    With a single genetic mutation, an insect’s defensive proteins can be transformed into a toxin that gives scorpions their signature sting, a new study shows.

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  6. Tech

    Jellyfish-like flying machine takes off

    Mimicking sea creatures instead of insects leads to better hovering, scientists find.

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  7. Agriculture

    Some bioenergy crops are greener than others

    In the Upper Midwest, switchgrass trumps maize at boosting ecological health.

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  8. Genetics

    Microbe and human genes influence stomach cancer risk

    When genes of the bacterium and its human host evolve together, the strain is less harmful than that same strain in a person whose ancestors didn't encounter that particular microbe.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    Green tea may sabotage blood pressure medication

    Antioxidants in drink may keep intestinal cells from taking up drug.

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  10. Life

    Feedback

    Readers respond to microbe counts, engineered organs and how to map the universe.

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  11. Animals

    Wrinkle arises in soggy hand studies

    An experiment bucks earlier finding that ridges help fingers grasp.

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  12. Animals

    Truths and lies about dingoes

    A dingo really did take that woman’s baby, but other myths about the animals have been debunked.

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