Life
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We summarize the week's science breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Paleontology
Dino feathers may have had earlier origin than thought
Researchers report that newly described dinosaur fossils suggest an ancient origin of feathers.
By Sid Perkins - Ecosystems
Too much intermingling puts native trout in trouble
Even a small amount of hybridizing may cause problems for the native westslope cutthroat trout.
By Susan Milius - Earth
North America’s smallest dino predator
A new fossil analysis uncovers what may have been North America’s tiniest dino predator.
By Sid Perkins - Health & Medicine
MicroRNAs provide telltale signature of organ rejection
Levels of microRNAs in the blood and tissue distinguish rejected transplants from healthy tissue.
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- Life
Vive la cycles
Researchers have identified a missing gear in the clock that helps plants tell night from day.
- Tech
Whiz Kids: The Movie
New independent film showcases the arduous path by which extraodinary high school researchers reach the Science Talent Search competition in Washington, D.C.
By Janet Raloff - Animals
Public tantrums defeat monkey moms too
Rhesus macaque moms are more likely to give in to screaming babies when bystanders are watching and reacting
By Susan Milius - Life
Aphids support symbionts with borrowed DNA
Aphids borrowed at least two genes from bacterial buddies, and those genes now support another bacterium that lives in the insects.
- Health & Medicine
Study finds plenty of apparent plagiarism
Featured blog: A data-mining program looks for and finds plagiarism among scientific papers. The researchers survey the papers' writers and editors.
By Janet Raloff - Agriculture
Gut bacteria ally with Bt
A new study finds that a particular microbe makes caterpillars susceptible to the insecticide.