Life
- Paleontology
China was an ancient-ape paradise
Fossil dig uncovers the oldest known remains of ancestral gibbons
By Bruce Bower - Life
Twin Fates
Animal and human studies suggest that a girl with a twin brother may never completely escape the influence of her opposite-sex womb-mate.
By Deborah Blum - Life
Pockets of Poor Health
The trend towards longer life expectancy plateaued or reversed in some parts of the U.S., a new study finds.
By Nathan Seppa - Life
Rest in peace nanobacteria, you were not alive after all
New studies bid a fond farewell to nanobacteria -- the extremely tiny “microorganisms” that have sparked controversy and may cause disease.
- Animals
First Frog without Lungs
An aquatic frog in fast-flowing water in Borneo turns out to be the first frog species with no lungs.
By Susan Milius - Animals
Antibiotic Alligator: Promising proteins lurk in reptile blood
Scientists are zeroing in on alligator blood proteins that show promise for fighting disease-causing microbes.
- Animals
Robin stole credit for Batman’s deeds
Bats turn out to be overlooked but significant eaters of insects, pests and other arthropods on shade-grown coffee farms and in tropical forests.
By Susan Milius - Animals
Comb jellies take root in a new tree of animal life
A team of biologists places comb jellies, not sponges, at the base of a new tree of animal life.
By Amy Maxmen - Paleontology
Salty Old Cellulose: Tiny fibers found in ancient halite deposits
Researchers have recovered microscopic bits of cellulose from 253-million-year-old salt deposits deep underground.
By Sid Perkins - Animals
Night Flights: Migrating moths may use a nighttime compass
Silver Y moths choose to fly when wind blows in the same direction that they migrate, and they may even compensate when the wind pushes them off-course.
By Susan Milius - Health & Medicine
Refugee Polio Scare Can Be Costly
There can be hidden, and substantial, costs to polio outbreaks among immigrant refugees.
By Janet Raloff - Ecosystems
Refugee Policy Needs a Shot in the Arm
Sometimes spending a little money on vaccinations up front can save a bundle down the line.
By Janet Raloff