Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Microbes
Prairie microbes could aid region’s restoration
Surveying the bacteria living in the soils of grassland ecosystems may help revive the habitats.
- Animals
Making a snake spectacle
Snakes have a thin layer over their eyes filled with blood vessels. A scientist has shown how snakes control those blood vessels to help them see.
- Life
Morel mushroom may grow crop of its own
A fungus could be a farmer itself, sowing, cultivating and harvesting bacteria.
- Animals
Reindeer eyes change color in winter darkness
One part of an Arctic reindeer’s eyes changes color in winter and increases the sensitivity of the animal’s vision.
- Health & Medicine
Mice lose the blues quickly with experimental drug
Studies in mice point to new, fast-acting antidepressants.
- Genetics
People’s genes welcome their microbes
In mice and humans, genetic variants seem to control the bacterial mix on and in bodies.
- Neuroscience
Mining mouse movements to make more meds
Animal models are a great way to look at psychoactive drugs and how they work. A new paper purports to simplify it all down to one test.
- Paleontology
Fossils suggest ancient sharks survived extinction event
Diving down deep in the ocean may have helped the fish live through the Great Dying 350 million years ago.
- Genetics
Genetic variants may keep Siberians warm
People in frigid cold evolved changes in fat metabolism, shivering.
- Genetics
Reprogrammed stem cells may mirror embryonic ones after all
Donor genetics may explain why the two cell types vary.
- Animals
The bromance of the fossas
Male fossas, mammal carnivores native to Madagascar, hang out with other males to boost their hunting and mating success.
- Animals
Don’t mount so fast! That bug could be a boy
Many insect males show same-sex mating behavior. What’s the cause? What’s the benefit? Is it real? Or are the bugs just in too much of a rush to stop?
