Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Animals
Early arthropod had a fancy brain
A 520-million-year-old fossil of a segmented animal shows that sophisticated central nervous systems are surprisingly ancient.
- Life
Research in cell communication system wins 2012 chemistry Nobel
G protein-coupled receptors relay messages from other cells and the environment into the cell's interior.
- Life
Pulsing blob makes memories sans brain
Slime molds create a GPS navigation system based on their own gooey trails.
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- Life
2012 medicine Nobel honors research on reprogramming adult cells
John Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka share this year's prize.
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- Life
Scent Into Action
Rodent responses to a whiff of predator may offer clues to instinct in the brain.
- Humans
Human-Neandertal mating gets a new date
Late Stone Age interbreeding between Neandertals and people may have left a mark on Europeans’ DNA.
- Life
Duck-billed dino could slice and dice
Ancient animal’s teeth were made of six different tissue types.
- Life
Mouse stem cells yield viable eggs
Japanese scientists’ technical feat might provide new insights about protecting and extending human fertility.
- Life
Black mamba bite packs potent painkiller
Scientists find that a component of snake venom blocks pain-sensing nerve signals.
- Animals
Right eye required for finding Mrs. Right
Finches flirt unwisely if they can only use their left eyes.
