Life

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We summarize the week's science breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Life

    Dining In

    A process called autophagy, is a means of self-preservation, cleansing and stress management for a cell.With their sights on fighting disease, scientists are now uncovering the mechanics that keep autophagy in balance.

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  2. Chemistry

    Light-sensor pulls perplexing double duty

    A long-studied eye pigment appears to also detect temperature, a study in fruit flies shows.

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  3. Life

    Life

    Chimps are righties and orangutans lefties, plus singing mice and chilly dinosaurs in this week's news.

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  4. Humans

    Missing bits of DNA may define humans

    Genetic information lost along the way may have led to bigger brains and spineless penises, among other traits.

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  5. Life

    Anxiety switch makes mice shy no more

    Brain-control experiments could help shed light on psychiatric disorders

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  6. Life

    Help, elephants need somebody

    In pull-together tests, pachyderms are on par with chimps in understanding the basics of cooperation.

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  7. Life

    Good gene type for cancer bad for stroke

    A DNA variant that helps prevent tumors may diminish the brain’s recovery after an interruption in blood supply.

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  8. Life

    Life

    Bats are savvy shoppers for insect snacks, plus heartless dinos and worm evolution in this week’s news.

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  9. Life

    Hagfish may eat through their skin

    The odd dining habits of carrion-eating protovertebrates may be relevant to the evolutionary transition to land.

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  10. Life

    Lab-engineered organism fights malaria

    A new breed of poison-secreting fungi can kill parasites in a mosquito.

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  11. Humans

    U.S. probably began global fire ant spread

    A genetic study shows that recent international invasions likely originated in the U.S. South, not the species’ native South American range.

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  12. Life

    Genes & Cells

    Mouse fur yields insights into the genetics of camouflage, plus more in this week’s news.

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