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Genetics

Year in Review: Caffeine triggers cloning advance

To successfully clone human cells, eggs must be dunked in the stimulant.

Humans

Year in Review: Language learning starts before birth

Babies seem familiar with vowels and words heard while in the womb.

Environment

Stillbirth rates tied to lead in drinking water

Fetal death rates rose in Washington, D.C., in parallel with two recent spikes in drinking water’s lead levels.

Science & Society

Year in Review: High court rules against gene patents

The justices’ decision opens the way for choices in DNA testing.

Health & Medicine

Year in Review: Sleep clears the cluttered brain

Some forms of brain washing are good, like the thorough hosing the brain gets during sleep.

Life

Year in Review: A double dose of virus scares

Outbreaks of two deadly viruses captured the world’s attention in 2013, but neither turned into the global pandemic expected to strike one of these years.

Plants

Lone survivor of ancient flowers is gluttonous gene consumer

The rare Amborella shrub has engulfed whole genomes from other species.

Humans

Year in Review: New discoveries reshape debate over human ancestry

Human evolution appears poised for a scientific makeover as the relationships among early hominids are disputed.

Cosmology

Year in Review: Planck refines cosmic history

The satellite data hint at a slower expansion rate for universe.

Life

Year in Review: Bioengineers make headway on human body parts

New techniques produce mimics of brain, liver, heart, kidney, retina.

Life

Year in Review: Your body is mostly microbes

Microbiome results argue for new view of animals as superorganisms.

Life

Solving the mystery of Alzheimer’s start

Molecular evildoers team up to launch neural destruction.