Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Animals
Cats kill more than one billion birds each year
New analysis doubles estimate of avian death tolls, revealing that hunting felines take bigger bite out of wildlife than expected.
- Life
Gene variant makes flu particularly dangerous
People with one form of IFITM3 are more likely to develop pneumonia.
- Life
Caribbean’s coral reefs approach tipping point
A survey of 19 colonies suggests many may soon begin to shrink.
- Life
Chimps’ baby teeth don’t predict weaning
The age at which a chimpanzee gets its first molar tooth doesn't predict when it will stop nursing.
- Humans
U.S. team breaks through subglacial lake
Testing should continue for a day or more, probing for life in the Antarctic depths.
- Animals
Dung beetles steer by the Milky Way
The insects orient themselves using starlight, researchers find in planetarium experiments.
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- Humans
H5N1 influenza research moratorium ends
Scientists lift self-imposed moratorium on research that would make avian flu transmissible among humans.
- Life
Starchy diet may have transformed wolves to dogs
Gaining the ability to digest carbohydrates may have been an important step in domesticating dogs.
- Tech
DNA stores poems, a photo and a speech
The molecule swaps its biological role for a computational one, that of long-term data storage.
- Humans
Ancient human DNA suggests minimal interbreeding
Genetic analysis indicates Stone Age people mated infrequently with Neandertals and other close relatives.
- Animals
Finally, the truth about barnacle sex is revealed
A genetic analysis shows that the sessile crustaceans can broadcast sperm in water, contrary to previous assumptions.
