Life

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We summarize the week's science breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Health & Medicine

    Seemingly misplaced DNA acts as lenses

    Nocturnal animals orient DNA in retinal cells to focus light.

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  2. Life

    Lizards sunbathe for another reason

    Panther chameleons may regulate their vitamin D levels by lounging in the sun.

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  3. Plants

    Yo, aphid, I’m red and I’m bad

    Apple trees support the idea that red fall colors are a warning signal to insects.

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  4. Life

    Early land arthropods sported shells

    Ancient ocean-dwelling arthropods may have worn shells to enable their transition to land.

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  5. Animals

    Oh, he’s such a lab bird

    Bold flycatchers may be more likely than shy birds to get trapped for lab studies.

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  6. Life

    Male chimps exchange meat for sex

    A long-term study of chimps living in western Africa indicates that males hunt down monkeys not only to eat their meat, but also to exchange the meat for sex with female chimps.

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  7. Animals

    Sonar causes rock-concert effect in dolphins

    Test of recorded sonar causes temporary hearing impairment in dolphins.

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  8. Life

    Primate vision puts pieces together

    Study suggests nerve cells in retinas create an intricate system of interlocking receptive fields.

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  9. Animals

    Chimps ambidextrous when digging wells

    A survey of water-collection holes dug on the banks of an African river by wild chimpanzees indicates that, unlike people, these apes don’t have a preference for using either the right or left hand on manual tasks.

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  10. Life

    Cells renew in the human heart

    Carbon 14 from Cold War–era nuclear bomb tests allowed researchers to track cell birth.

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  11. Chemistry

    Prions are common, at least in yeast

    A new study of shape-shifting proteins in baker’s yeast reveals that prions are common and may help organisms survive in changing conditions.

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  12. Math

    Chicks do arithmetic

    Using the natural inclination of young chickens to cluster in large groups, researchers show that the birds are hatched with a numerical sense.

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