Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Paleontology
DNA suggests North American mammoth species interbred
Supposedly separate types may really have been one.
- Life
Giant beavers had hidden vocal talents
With air passageways in its skull like no other animal known, an extinct outsized rodent may have made sound all its own.
- Paleontology
Tooth stranger than fiction
A mammal fossil unearthed in South America resembles ‘Ice Age’ saber-toothed squirrel.
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- Life
Axing molecular zombies may slow aging
Killing off dormant cells slows the decline of mice genetically engineered to grow old fast.
- Life
Nearness key in microbe DNA swaps
Close quarters, like those inside the human body, are the most important factor in determining how often bacteria pick up one another’s genes.
- Life
Python’s heart-restoring elixir works in mice
A chemical brew used by snakes to build cardiac muscle could have medical applications.
- Life
Giant dinosaurs may have migrated
Evidence in teeth suggests that sauropods sought greener pastures in dry North American summers.
- Humans
Infected bats can recover . . . with lots of help
Researchers reported new data today confirming that with enough coddling, many heavily infected bats can recover. The rub: These scientists also pointed out that there really aren’t sufficient resources to save more than a handful this way.
- Life
Cause confirmed in bat scourge
White-nose syndrome has devastated bat population in eastern North America.
- Life
Gut bacteria linked to MS
Gut bacteria appear to play a role in initiating multiple sclerosis in mice.
- Life
Gene makes some pilots get rusty faster
A common DNA variant affects the pace of age-related decline in performance on skilled tasks like flying a plane.
