Life

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We summarize the week's science breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Plants

    Parasite Godzilla

    Parasites are small but have a big impact. An estuary study reveals that these little annoyances add up to a lot of biomass.

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  2. Life

    Magnetic sense linked to molecule

    Fruit fly experiments shed light on animals’ use of Earth’s magnetic field for orientation and navigation.

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  3. Life

    The Rhino with Glue-On Shoes: And Other Surprising True Stories of Zoo Vets and Their Patients

    Lucy H. Spelman and Ted Y. Mashima (eds.), Delacorte Press, 2008, 312 p., $22.

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  4. Health & Medicine

    MapQuest for the mouse spinal cord

    The Allen Institute for Brain Science unveils an online atlas of the mouse spinal cord. The atlas is a tool for researchers studying spinal cord injury, disease and development.

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  5. Health & Medicine

    Finding the Golden Genes

    Advances in gene therapy could tempt some athletes to enhance their genetic makeup, leading some researchers to work on detection methods just in case.

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  6. Ecosystems

    Tracing Tahitian vanilla

    The discovery of Tahitian vanilla’s heritage could set off a custody battle between nations.

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  7. Life

    Hidden in plain view

    Looking for unwavering genes rather than standouts could reveal which genes contribute to disease.

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  8. Animals

    We all sing like fish

    From opera singers to toadfish, vertebrates may use basically similar circuitry for controlling vocal muscles.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    X-ray vision

    A new imaging technique could give scientists unprecedented views into cells and other objects at the nanoscale.

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  10. Animals

    Brains for a change

    Outsized brains may have sped up evolution of body size in birds.

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  11. Life

    HIV after DARC

    A gene variant prevalent in people of African descent increases the risk of HIV infection but also helps slow disease progression.

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  12. Life

    Young tasmanian devil moms

    Tasmanian devils have started mating much earlier in response to an epidemic, called facial tumor disease, that is wiping out much of their population.

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