Life

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We summarize the week's science breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Life

    Why diversity rules

    A new experiment demonstrates the way a multitude of specialized species absorb nutrients more effectively than a highly productive one.

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  2. Life

    Sugar fuels growth of insulin-making cells

    Mouse study suggests a new strategy for treating diabetes.

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  3. Life

    Worries grow over monarch butterflies

    Migrants overwintering in Mexico rebounded somewhat this past winter, but still trending downward.

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  4. Paleontology

    Supersized superbunny

    Fossils reveal a non-hopping giant rabbit that lived on the island of Minorca 5 million years ago.

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  5. Life

    Genes & Cells

    Traditional medicine helps give the slip to bacteria, plus insulin insensitivity and dental plaque in this week's news.

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  6. Life

    Great-grandpa’s genes gone, effects stay

    Removing an obesity-preventing scrap of DNA from a mouse lineage doesn’t prevent descendants from reaping its slimming benefits for generations.

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  7. Life

    Wasps airlift annoying ants

    In a scrap over food, being big and able to fly is an advantage.

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  8. Life

    Life

    A fossil flower from one of life’s early bloomers, plus monkey business and shark cleanings in this week’s news.

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  9. Life

    DNA flaws can stack up as cancer grows

    Acute myeloid leukemia progresses by accumulating various mutations, according to an analysis of one man’s disease over time.

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  10. Humans

    Noise is what ails beaked whales

    Large-scale experiments reveal a sensitivity to sonar, apparently at lower levels than other species.

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  11. Life

    Brain chemical influences sexual preference in mice

    Males lacking the neurotransmitter serotonin court both sexes equally, researchers are surprised to find.

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  12. Life

    Life

    Cells can sense a tough road ahead, plus promiscuous amoebas and sensitive birds of prey in this week’s news.

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