Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- 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.
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- Life
Dinosaurs broiled, not grilled
Debris from K-T impact could have been heat source and heat shield.
- Paleontology
New fossil helps solidify dino origins
The dog-sized creature bolsters the notion that early dinosaurs first appeared in what is now South America.
- Life
Fruit flies can be alcoholics too
Drinking behavior of Drosophila shows similarities to human addiction.
- Life
When feminine beauty thrives on competition
Gorgeous plumage for both starling sexes comes from rivalry in co-op nests
- Ecosystems
Greening Christmas
I love the smell of balsam and firs and decorating holiday cookies – preferably with the sound of popular holiday standards in the background. I even enjoy shopping for and wrapping carefully chosen presents in seasonal papers festooned with huge bows. So when my hosts, this week, asked what I wanted to see during my visit, the answer was simple. Take me to one of Germany’s famed Christmas markets. And literally within a couple hours of my plane’s landing, they were already ushering me into the first of what would be a handful of such seasonal fairs. But as I also quickly learned, this first was an unusual one: a "green" bazaar.
- Humans
Another livestock drug endangers vultures
After one veterinary NSAID almost wiped out vultures in South Asia, one of the possible replacements turns out to be toxic too.
