Life

Sign up for our newsletter

We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Animals

    Year in Review: Odd cicada history emerges

    Brood II returns better understood.

    By
  2. Animals

    Year in Review: Canine genealogy

    Competing clues confuse the story of dog domestication.

    By
  3. Life

    Feedback

    Readers discuss dog origins and how important a sense of scale is in science journalism.

    By
  4. Neuroscience

    Year in Review: Obama unveils brain initiative

    In April, the president announced an ambitious plan to reveal the human brain’s secrets.

    By
  5. Animals

    A year of rediscovered species

    Thousands of species go extinct each year, but at least a few are found after many years of being lost.

    By
  6. Neuroscience

    Bad memories fade with a short jolt

    Research illustrates the vulnerability of the brain’s information storage.

    By
  7. Genetics

    Year in Review: Caffeine triggers cloning advance

    To successfully clone human cells, eggs must be dunked in the stimulant.

    By
  8. Animals

    African frog conceals itself with chemicals

    Two small peptides keep the West African savanna frog from being stung by ants.

    By
  9. Science & Society

    Year in Review: High court rules against gene patents

    The justices’ decision opens the way for choices in DNA testing.

    By
  10. Life

    Year in Review: A double dose of virus scares

    Outbreaks of two deadly viruses captured the world’s attention in 2013, but neither turned into the global pandemic expected to strike one of these years.

    By
  11. Plants

    Lone survivor of ancient flowers is gluttonous gene consumer

    The rare Amborella shrub has engulfed whole genomes from other species.

    By
  12. Life

    Year in Review: Bioengineers make headway on human body parts

    New techniques produce mimics of brain, liver, heart, kidney, retina.

    By