Uncategorized

  1. Neuroscience

    Year in review: Alzheimer’s protein behaves like a prion

    Under rare conditions, an Alzheimer’s-related protein may have jumped between people, scientists reported this year.

    By Laura Sanders
  2. Planetary Science

    Year in review: Best evidence yet for water on Mars

    New data from the Mars Reconaissance Orbiter supported the presence of salty water on Mars.

    By Alexandra Witze
  3. Earth

    Year in review: Pacific Plate slides over slick layer

    Some explosive science offered a glimpse into how tectonic plates slide around Earth’s surface.

    By Thomas Sumner
  4. Genetics

    Year in review: Cancer genetics grows up

    Researchers looking for mutations linked to cancer have found that not all genetic alterations should be targeted equally.

    By Rachel Ehrenberg
  5. Animals

    Year in review: Woes of artificial lighting add up for wildlife

    Studies published this year add dodging death, flirting and mothering to the tasks that artificial light can discombobulate in wild animals.

    By Susan Milius
  6. Particle Physics

    Year in review: Collider creates pentaquarks

    Two particles discovered in 2015 are each composed of five quarks.

    By Andrew Grant
  7. Neuroscience

    Year in review: ‘Speed cells’ help make navigation possible

    The discovery of speed cells in the brain filled in a missing piece in the understanding of how the brain creates an internal map of the world.

    By Laura Sanders
  8. Environment

    Year in review: BPA alternatives aren’t benign

    Evidence is accumulating that at least one popular alternative to bisphenol A can enter the body and trigger developmental and physiological changes.

    By Janet Raloff
  9. Animals

    Year in review: New dates, place proposed for dogs’ beginnings

    This year’s dog research suggested older origins and a new location of domestication for man's best friend.

    By Chris Samoray
  10. Humans

    Year in review: Native Americans are Kennewick kin

    Ancient DNA identified 8,500-year-old Kennewick Man as a Native American relative.

    By Bruce Bower
  11. Genetics

    Year in review: Fluke extinction surprises lab

    A die-off of bacteria in a carefully controlled lab experiment offered an evolutionary lesson this year: Survival depends not only on fitness but also on luck.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  12. Neuroscience

    Year in review: Gaps in brain nets might store memories

    Holes in nets that surround nerve cells may store long-term memories, scientists proposed this year.

    By Laura Sanders