Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Animals
Little thylacine had a big bite
A reconstruction of the skull of a thylacine, an extinct, fox-sized Australian marsupial, reveals that the animal could have eaten prey much larger than itself.
- Ecosystems
War’s ecological effects laid bare in ‘A Window on Eternity’
In "A Window on Eternity," entomologist E.O. Wilson chronicles both the shifting ecology of Gorongosa National Park after the war and how researchers are trying to repair the damage.
- Earth
Surge seen in number of U.S. wildfires
The number and size of wildfires in the western United States has steadily risen over the last three decades.
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- Life
Insulating sheath on nerve cells isn’t an even coat
Myelin doesn't evenly coat axons, a finding that runs counter to what scientists suspected.
- Genetics
Cloning produces stem cells from adult skin
Human embryonic stem cells made using adult cells could enable medical advances such as replacement organs.
- Genetics
New tools reveal new truths about fungi, flies, antibiotics
In the newsroom, any story about a new scientific method faces an uphill battle. In this issue are a number of stories that feature how science is done.
- Life
The name of the fungus
A rebellion has broken out against the traditional way of naming species in the peculiar, shape-shifting world of fungi.
- Health & Medicine
Gene variant, processed meat linked to boost in cancer risk
In people with a specific variation of a gene on chromosome 10, eating processed meat is associated with an increased risk of developing colon cancer.
- Neuroscience
Poor slumber is bad for young flies’ brains
A child's sleep deprivation could alter brain development and adult behavior, a study of fruit flies suggests.
- Life
Protein that gets sperm into egg identified
The protein Folr4 on a reproductive egg plays this crucial role in the fusion of the sperm and egg, research shows.
- Tech
To do: Exhibits to explore this May in D.C. and New York
Events include a celebration of science and original watercolor paintings from John James Audubon.
