Life
We summarize the week's science breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Earth
Eels point to suffocating Gulf floor
In June, scientists predicted that the Gulf of Mexico’s annual dead zone — a subsea region where the water contains too little oxygen to support life — might develop into the biggest ever. In fact, that didn’t happen. Owing to the fortuitous arrival of stormy weather, this year’s dead zone peaked at about 6,800 square miles, scientists reported on Aug. 1 — big but far from the record behemoth of 9,500 square miles that had been mentioned as distinctly possible.
- Life
Wasp has built-in Facebook
An insect species with a tricky social life has a special facility for telling one bug's mug from another.
- Life
DNA switches tied to non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Genetic defects lead to altered activity in other genes.
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- Life
Genes & Cells
Family ties in memory and breast cancer, plus diagnosing ancient deaths and more in this week’s news.
- Life
Dolphin may sense the body electric
Organs on the species' snout help it detect faint fields, like those generated by prey.
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- Life
Genes & Cells
Genes for butterfly wings and maintaining maleness, plus turtles meet their lizard relatives and more in this week’s news.
- Life
A tryst, then the power to resist
House mice in Europe got some of their tolerance for rodenticides from hybridizing with a completely different species
- Life
The lion eats tonight …
Attacks on humans peak after a full moon, when feline bellies tend to rumble.
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