Life
Sign up for our newsletter
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Life
Climate warms, creatures head for the hills
Unusual data let scientists test predictions that global warming drives species up slopes.
By Susan Milius - Life
Community of one
Scientists have discovered how a single bacterial species living in a gold mine in South Africa survives on its own. Its genome contains everything it needs to live independently.
- Paleontology
New arthropod species really stuck together
Recent fossil discovery shows that new species of arthropod formed chains, raising the possibility of communal behavior.
- Life
A better understanding of inherited breast cancer
New studies on a type of inherited breast cancer identify a key factor with different roles in different cancers.
- Earth
Pterodactyls may soar once more
Paleontologists and aeronautical engineers are designing a reconnaissance drone that will mimic the flight of an ancient flying reptile.
By Sid Perkins -
- Life
Tough times for mammals
Between a fifth and a third of the world’s mammal species face the threat of extinction.
By Susan Milius - Earth
When trees grew in Antarctica
Fossils of trees that grew in Antarctica millions of years ago suggest a growth pattern much different than modern trees.
By Sid Perkins - Life
Honeybees play follow-the-leaders
Avert your eyes, Margaret, it's a streaker bee! High definition cameras have caught streaker honeybees flying fast above the swarm, leading the crowd to a new home.
- Life
Beetles grow weed killer
Beetle moms carry their own bacteria for making a compound to protect their gardens.
By Susan Milius - Life
Bicoastal Atlantic bluefin tuna
Mediterranean and western Atlantic bluefin tuna spend more time in mixed groups than previously thought, suggesting management strategies need to be revisited.
- Life
Old fish, new fish, red fish, blue fish
A difference in vision in cichlids in Lake Victoria could be pushing a species to split into two.