Life

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We summarize the week's science breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Neuroscience

    Brain shot

    Deciphering how the brain’s circuitry produces thought and behavior is an ambitious and enticing goal on the scale of the Apollo Program or the Human Genome Project. But the neuroscientists involved in a new federal effort have many challenges ahead.

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  2. Earth

    Ammonite jaws provide a window into ancient climate

    Temperature of marine environment can be determined from cephalopod fossils.

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  3. Genetics

    When flowers died out in Arctic, so did mammoths

    Genetic analysis finds vegetation change in the Arctic around same time as megafauna extinction.

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  4. Neuroscience

    Diuretic may treat autism, study in rodents suggests

    Drug that lowers chloride levels in brain cells staves off symptoms in mice and rats.

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  5. Life

    Some animals eat their moms, and other cannibalism facts

    A new book surveys those who eat their own kind, revealing some surprises about who’s eating whom.

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  6. Neuroscience

    Prosthetic provides sense of touch to man who lost hand

    A new prosthetic hand restores a sense of touch by stimulating nerves in the arm.

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  7. Ecosystems

    Amazon doesn’t actually go green in dry seasons

    An optical illusion in satellite data made forests appear to grow faster.

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  8. Life

    The fluid part of semen plays a seminal role

    We often think of reproduction as involving only sperm and egg. But a new study highlights the seminal role of liquid semen in fertility and healthy offspring.

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  9. Genetics

    Chemical changes to genes make twins’ pain differ

    Chemical changes to genes may make identical twins experience pain differently.

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  10. Health & Medicine

    Overcoming peanut allergy requires maintenance for most

    In small study, nearly all people who stopped eating the legumes daily later experienced an allergic reaction.

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  11. Life

    Mosquito sperm may sense smells

    Mosquitoes’ sperm may have chemical sensors that detect odors similar to the way the insect’s antennae sort smells.

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  12. Paleontology

    Rivers of rock and gas froze ancient animals in time

    Ancient Chinese fossil beds were preserved by high-speed rivers of volcanic rock and gas.

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