Life

  1. Animals

    Face Smarts

    Macaques, sheep and even wasps may join people as masters at facial recognition.

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  2. Humans

    Africans’ genes mute on human birthplace

    Latest DNA studies confirm previous research on the prehistory of African groups, but still can’t locate the root of the species.

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  3. Math

    Bumblebees navigate new turf without a map

    The insects can quickly calculate the best route between flowers.

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  4. Life

    E. coli caught in the act of evolving

    Researchers track thousands of bacterial generations to document the development of a trait nearly 25 years in the making.

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  5. Life

    DNA tags may dictate bee behavior

    Chemical alterations affect genetic activity but not the genes themselves.

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  6. Life

    Flash leads to flex in lab-grown muscle

    Light-activated artificial tissue inspires dream of squirming wormbots.

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  7. Neuroscience

    Copycat mentality may be a hardwired way for animals to learn to avoid others’ mistakes

    Copycat mentality may be a hardwired way for animals to learn to avoid others’ mistakes.

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  8. Life

    Killer whale mama’s boys live longer

    Survival benefits may explain females’ extended life span following menopause.

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  9. Life

    Stem cells may help in treating deafness

    A new method triggers the development of sound-sensitive neurons in the inner ear.

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  10. Life

    Wild snakes reproduce without sex

    Virgin births are not just a by-product of captivity.

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  11. Life

    New swine flu virus could infect people

    Strains found in Korean pigs contain gene mutations that make them potentially transmissible to humans.

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  12. Life

    International Congress of Neuroethology, College Park, Md., August 5–10

    Dung beetle gaits and the whine of a mosquito's flight

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