Life

  1. Life

    Genetic effects suggest FOXP2 role in language evolution

    Human version of the protein alters activity of 116 genes compared with the chimp version.

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  2. Paleontology

    Small ancestor of giant sauropods unearthed

    Fossils suggest that the bipedal dinosaur occasionally walked on all fours and could open its mouth wide to gather foliage.

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  3. Life

    Hormones give lantern sharks the glow

    In a first, a study shows that bioluminescence can be controlled by slow-acting hormones, not rapid-fire nerve cells.

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  4. Life

    Book Review: Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species: A Graphic Adaptation by Michael Keller

    Review by Sid Perkins.

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  5. Health & Medicine

    Bacteria flourish in favorite ecosystems on the human body

    Study offers most comprehensive inventory yet of the human microbiome and a basis for understanding how those microbes affect health.

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  6. Paleontology

    Pollination in the pre-flower-power era

    Scorpionflies with long-reaching mouthparts may have helped plants procreate long before blossoms evolved.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    Genome 10K: A new ark

    Featured blog: Researchers are working to catalog the DNA sequences of just about every vertebrate genus.

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  8. Animals

    Textbook case of color-changing spider reopened

    Female crab spiders switch colors to match flowers but may not fool their prey

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  9. Animals

    Scent of alarm identifies male bed bugs

    When mistaken for females, the guys release an alarming pheromone.

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  10. Life

    Birds’ eyes, not beaks, sense magnetic fields

    A new study pinpoints migratory songbirds’ magnetic compass in a specific brain region.

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  11. Life

    Three dino types may be just three dino ages

    Study suggests three dinos placed in separate taxa are actually from one group at different growth stages

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  12. Life

    Spiders love sweet smell of blood perfume

    For on spider species, feeding on blood-gorged mosquitoes adds charm to a mate

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