Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- 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.
- Plants
Bladderwort opens wide
Under a microscope, the tiny trap of a carnivorous plant becomes an impressive gaping maw.
- Agriculture
Sweet potato weevils have favorite colors
When it comes to eradicating the sweet potato weevil, the devil is in the colorful details.
- Math
Tomorrow’s catch
A biologist who formerly applied his mathematical talents in finance has developed new ways of predicting the ups and downs of fish populations.
- Life
Marine microbes shed packets of DNA, nutrients
The world’s most abundant marine microorganism, the photosynthetic bacteria Prochlorococcus, spits out nutrient-rich vesicles into ocean waters, perhaps for genetic exchange or as a survival mechanism.
