Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- 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.
- Life
Stuck in the past
Reprogrammed stem cells retain molecular memories of their former identities, two new studies show.
-
- Life
Animal sperm arose once
A gene governing production of male reproductive cells goes back to a common ancestor that lived about 600 million years ago, a study finds.
- Chemistry
Smelling the menu
Mouse breath triggers special cells in the nose that help send a safe-to-eat message.
- Earth
New ‘walking’ fishes discovered in Gulf oil-spill zone
Pancake batfishes may be getting oiled before they get named.
- Paleontology
Apes and Old World monkeys may have split later than thought
A 29- to 28-million-year-old primate fossil found in Saudi Arabia assists scientists in timing a major evolutionary transition.
- Life
Science leaps forward with Calaveras County frog jump
Biologists test the pros of amphibian athletics.
- Health & Medicine
Antiaging protein also boosts learning and memory
An antiaging molecule also helps keep the mind sharp.
