Life
We summarize the week's science breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Animals
Leaping land fish avoids predators by blending in
The Pacific leaping blenny avoids being eaten by predators by blending into its rocky habitat.
- Neuroscience
Lighting up the lightning speed of vesicle formation
While the release of neurotransmitters from vesicles is speedy, we always thought vesicle formation was slow. It turns out that vesicle formation can zip along much faster than we thought.
- Neuroscience
Brain chip enables injured rats to control movements
Prosthesis bypasses damaged area to connect distant neurons.
- Animals
Grizzly bears get stressed from salmon decline
Grizzlies in coastal British Columbia bulk up on salmon in the fall, but they experience stress when the fish are scarce.
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- Ecosystems
Online map tracks forest shifts from space
By layering more than 650,000 satellite images onto a Google map, researchers have created a new tool to track forest cover.
- Animals
Dazzle camouflage may fool a locust
The bold zig-zag patterns that adorned naval ships during the world wars also appear in nature and may bewilder locusts, a new study suggests.
- Life
H7N9 flu still better adapted to infect birds over humans
The proteins from the avian flu appear better suited for attaching to bird, not human, molecules.
- Neuroscience
Faulty brain wiring may contribute to dyslexia
Adults with the disorder showed difficulty transmitting information among areas that process language.
- Life
Autism may have link to chemicals made by gut microbes
Beneficial bacteria improved abnormal behaviors in mice with altered intestines.
- Life
Targeting single set of nerve cells may block mosquitoes
The insects use the same neurons to detect carbon dioxide from our breath and odors from our skin so blocking those cells could lead to more simplified repellent systems.
- Life
Male contraceptive test targets sperm’s travel route
Most efforts at a male contraceptive have focused on hormones, trying to stop production of sperm. A new study in mice explores leaving the sperm to themselves, and instead stops their transport.
