Life
We summarize the week's science breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Genetics
Crosses make lab mice even more useful
Scientists have bred new strains of lab animals with the goal of making it easier to tease out genetic components of complex diseases.
- Life
All genes aren’t indispensable
Even healthy people may have about 20 genes that are completely inactivated, a new study finds.
- Life
Seeing, feeling have something in common
A protein needed for eye development is also involved in detecting vibrations.
- Life
Yeast find use for misfolded proteins
Protein bundles may help single-celled organisms adapt to difficult environmental conditions.
- Humans
Food exports can drain arid regions
Many dry regions ‘export’ large amounts of water in the form of agricultural products.
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- Life
Cancer drug may have Alzheimer’s benefits
Medication helps the brain clear a plaque-forming protein associated with dementia.
- Animals
Classic sooty-moth tale bolstered by new results
A scientist’s six-year backyard experiment strengthens the scenario for evolutionary changes due to industrial pollution.
- Life
Ocean noise is a whale of a stressor
The post-9/11 quiet in Atlantic shipping lanes calmed the biggest marine mammals, hormone measurements suggest.
- Life
How a stomach bug may ward off asthma
An ulcer- and cancer-causing bacterium may protect against the airway disease by influencing key players in inflammation.
- Chemistry
Taste of fructose revs up metabolism
The pancreas pumps more insulin in response to the sugar, potentially throwing the body’s energy-storage machinery out of whack.
- Neuroscience
Demystifying the Mind
A special report on the scientific struggle to explain the conscious self.
