Life

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We summarize the week's science breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Paleontology

    Flexible molars made chewing champions out of duck-billed dinosaurs

    Tiny scratches in the fossilized teeth of Edmontosaurus suggest what these large herbivores ate and how they ate it.

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  2. Life

    H1N1 racks up frequent flier miles

    Analyzing global flight paths may help researchers track pandemics, as a new study on H1N1 shows.

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  3. Life

    Protein protects sperm in mice

    A protein called GPX5 helps protect sperm from oxidative damage. The finding could help prevent birth defects.

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  4. Animals

    Bat face shapes sound

    An oversized appendage in Bourret’s horseshoe bats may aid in long-distance signals.

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  5. Life

    Beetle philandering doesn’t work out for the ladies

    A common idea about the benefits of multiple matings for females turns out to be wrong for seed beetles.

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  6. Life

    Long-lasting daddy longlegs

    Fossils of two new daddy longlegs species have been unearthed in China.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    Downside of red-hot chili peppers

    In the wild, a culinary kick comes with risks to the plant.

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  8. Climate

    Fire

    Understanding long-term changes in wildfire patterns challenges scientists from multiple disciplines.

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  9. Humans

    Seeking genetic fate

    Personal genomics companies offer forecasts of disease risk, but the science behind the packaging is still evolving.

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  10. Life

    Mosquito fish count comrades to stay alive

    New experiments indicate that mosquito fish can count small numbers of companions swimming in different groups, an ability that apparently evolved to assist these fish in avoiding predators.

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  11. Health & Medicine

    A role for Merkels

    Mysterious skin cells known as Merkel cells are required to sense light touches.

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  12. Paleontology

    Bird in the hand

    Fossilized fingers strengthen evolutionary link between dinosaurs and avian relatives.

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