Life
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Life
Average bear could be pretty smart
Computer tests of solitary species reveal animals’ ability to learn concepts.
By Susan Milius -
Life
Kick in the gut may lead to IBD
Short-term infection could create conditions for long-term intestinal illness, a study suggests.
By Nathan Seppa -
Life
Antibiotics linked to fat buildup
Research in mice implicates changes in gut microbe mix; study in infants finds excess weight gain after use of the drugs.
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Humans
Gene may boost effects of peer pressure
DNA trait linked to tendency to be affected by high or low levels of alcohol and cigarette use in high school.
By Bruce Bower -
Life
Unusual virus may tie snakes in knots
Captive snakes with a fatal disease harbor viruses never before seen in reptiles.
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Life
Mantis shrimp flub color vision test
Unexpectedly poor results on crustacean eye exams suggest there’s another way to perceive color.
By Susan Milius -
Life
Smell deals with deprivation differently
One odor-related brain region called the orbitofrontal cortex keeps the sense primed for resumed input during a cold.
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Humans
North African Diaspora written in genes
DNA analysis of people from 15 groups identifies distinct groups and migrations.
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Neuroscience
When evaluating textbook dogmas about the brain, keep an open mind
When evaluating textbook dogmas about the brain, keep an open mind.
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Life
How the elephant gets its infrasound
Just blowing air through a pachyderm’s larynx produces fundamental elements of the mysterious rumblings that send messages too low for people to hear.
By Susan Milius -
Life
Rabies resistance arises in backwater thick with vampire bats
Residents of two remote Peruvian communities appear to have survived infection by the deadly virus.
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Animals
Epidemic of skin lesions reported in reef fish
A British-Australian research team has just found coral trout living on the south side of the Great Barrier Reef sporting dark skin raised, scablike, brown-black growths. Although the authors believe they’ve stumbled onto an epidemic of melanoma — a type of skin cancer — other experts have their doubts. Strong ones.
By Janet Raloff