Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Animals
Swimming dolphins don’t need to cheat
Dolphins swimming through bubbles burst old notion of underpowered muscles.
- Life
V-flying birds pick efficient flapping pattern
Ibises time their flaps to catch a boost from a neighbor’s wing.
- Ecosystems
Trees’ growth keeps climbing with age
Older trees pack on weight faster, making them potentially the best carbon collectors.
- 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.
- Tech
Jellyfish-like flying machine takes off
Mimicking sea creatures instead of insects leads to better hovering, scientists find.
- Agriculture
Some bioenergy crops are greener than others
In the Upper Midwest, switchgrass trumps maize at boosting ecological health.
- 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.
- Health & Medicine
Green tea may sabotage blood pressure medication
Antioxidants in drink may keep intestinal cells from taking up drug.
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- Animals
Wrinkle arises in soggy hand studies
An experiment bucks earlier finding that ridges help fingers grasp.
- Animals
Truths and lies about dingoes
A dingo really did take that woman’s baby, but other myths about the animals have been debunked.
- Neuroscience
Caffeine may improve memory
Taking the stimulant after learning new information boosted people’s recall the next day.
