Life
We summarize the week's science breakthroughs every Thursday.
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- Animals
Tongue bristles help bats lap up nectar
High-speed videos capture stretched-out tongue bumps that stretch out so nectar-feeding bats can slurp up their food.
- Neuroscience
Pieces of Light
How the New Science of Memory Illuminates the Stories We Tell About Our Pasts by Charles Fernyhough.
- Animals
Winged robots may shed light on fly aerobatics
After years of trying, researchers create flapping machines that can hover and perform rudimentary flight maneuvers.
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- Animals
Deep-sea worms drop acid to get dinner
Bone-eating worms produce chemicals to dissolve and feed on skeletons.
- Animals
Fossil illuminates ancestry of swifts and hummingbirds
Spectacularly preserved remains suggest that the two avian groups' predecessors got small before splitting and developing their flying chops.
- Life
Genetic fossils betray hepatitis B’s ancient roots
Modern bird genomes reveal evidence that virus is at least 82 million years old.
- Life
Bees need honey’s natural pharmaceuticals
Ingredients trigger insects' genes for detoxification and immune defenses against bacteria.
- Life
Signs of culture in whales and monkeys
Mammals learn feeding behaviors from their friends and family members.
- Life
So far, the great tit has coped with climate change
Earlier arrival of birds’ food due to warming temperatures hasn’t yet reduced bird population.
- Life
Birds may have had to crouch before they could fly
Digital reconstructions of avian ancestors show a progressive redistribution of weight toward the front of the body.
