Life
We summarize the week's science breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Life
Disabling cellular assassin prevents cancer
A counterintuitive experiment may help explain why survivors are more vulnerable to other malignancies later in life.
- Life
For ducks, penis length depends on the other guys
Male genitals grow longer with more competition from other males.
-
- Life
Lemurs on contraceptives don’t smell right
Birth control disrupts female odors used in mating and other social situations.
- Life
Genetics redraws marsupial family tree
A new analysis traces the group’s origin to South America.
- Health & Medicine
‘Housekeeping’ proteins may set aging limit
Aging cells may seal their fate by keeping worn-out proteins when they sprout offspring.
- Math
Swarming locusts impossible to predict
A mathematical analysis shows that random factors underlie the insects’ movements across the landscape.
- Plants
Explosions, mushroom clouds — all good for short moss
BLOG: Sphagnum reproduces with a bang that compensates for life so close to the ground.
- Ecosystems
Frogs leapt before they landed
Jumping preceded mastery of the touchdown in amphibian evolution, a new study suggests.
- Paleontology
Oldest dog debated
A fossil jaw may, or may not, come from the oldest known example of man’s best friend.
-
- Animals
Fearless tadpoles give invaders the edge
Clueless larvae don’t heed the scent of nonnative turtles, giving newcomers an edge over native species, a European study finds.
