Life
We summarize the week's science breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Climate
Warming has already boosted insect breeding
Museum records, publications suggest extra generations at same time as temperature increases
- Life
Sexual conflict takes shape in ducks
Up-close view of male ducks reveals extreme speed and extreme conflict.
- Life
Lupus not identical in twins
Differences in DNA methylation may account for why one sibling gets the autoimmune disease while the other stays healthy.
- Life
Groovy teeth suggest dinosaur was venomous
Fossils show depression in upper jaw that held venom-producing glands.
- Life
2009 Science News of the Year: Genes & Cells
Cancer-fighting roles Scientists have discovered a new role in cancer protection for an already well-known tumor suppressor protein. The protein, called p53, protects cells from becoming cancerous by sensing stress and either shutting down cell division or triggering cell death. Researchers at the University of Tokyo and colleagues have discovered that p53 also plays a […]
- Life
2009 Science News of the Year: Life
Breeding records for sheep on Hirta offer an unusual opportunity to study inheritance. Image Credit: Arpat Ozgul Gentler winters shrink sheepWarming has trumped the benefits of fat to shrink sheep on the remote North Atlantic island of Hirta, a new analytical approach has revealed (SN: 8/1/09, p. 12). Weights for wild female Soay sheep dropped […]
- Life
Do-it-yourself bed-bug detector
With bed-bug numbers on the rise in North America, researchers test homemade bug finders.
- Health & Medicine
When body meets H1N1 flu
Two studies map interactions between virus and human cells; one study reveals natural flu fighters.
- Earth
For coots, hatching order is crucial ID
When birds sneak eggs into others' nest, mom and dad can learn to find their own.
- Health & Medicine
Mom and Dad not equally to blame for some bad genes
Common genetic variants may have different effects on disease depending which parent passes along the trait.
- Life
Virus makes plants lie to insects
Infected squash plants smell delicious but taste terrible – perfect combination for tricking aphids into spreading disease
- Health & Medicine
New material could support stem cell development
A ’smart’ gel could help coax stem cells to develop into heart cells.
