All Stories by Laurel Hamers
- Animals
Elephant seals recognize rivals by the tempo of their calls
The distinct sputtering-lawnmower sound of a male elephant seal’s call has a tempo that broadcasts his identity to competitors.
- Health & Medicine
Common drugs help reverse signs of fetal alcohol syndrome in rats
A thyroid hormone and a blood sugar drug affect levels of a hormone needed for brain development, study in rats shows.
- Neuroscience
Brain activity helps build an alpha male
In mice, nerve cells in the prefrontal cortex influence whether an individual is dominant or submissive.
- Life
Flight demands may have steered the evolution of bird egg shape
An analysis of nearly 50,000 bird eggs finds a link between a species’ egg shape and flight ability.
- Environment
New material could filter water contaminants that others miss
A new polymer offers a better way to pull fluorine-containing pollutants out of drinking water.
- Life
How bearded dragons switch their sex
RNA editing might affect reptile sex determination at temperature extremes.
- Paleontology
New dinosaur resurrects a demon from Ghostbusters
The most complete skeleton of an ankylosaur shows an armored, club-tailed dinosaur with a head like a Ghostbusters demon.
- Neuroscience
Brains encode faces piece by piece
Cells in monkey brains build up faces by coding for different characteristics.
- Health & Medicine
The opioid epidemic spurs a search for new, safer painkillers
Today’s opioids stop pain — but they’re also dangerous. Scientists are hunting for replacements.
- Earth
Deep heat may have spawned one of the world’s deadliest tsunamis
The 2004 Indonesian quake was surprisingly strong because of dried-out, brittle minerals far below.
- Life
Mouse sperm survive space to fertilize eggs
Sperm freeze-dried and sent into space for months of exposure to high levels of solar radiation later produced healthy baby mice.
- Life
Mouse sperm survive space to spawn
Sperm freeze-dried and sent into space for months of exposure to high levels of solar radiation later produced healthy baby mice.
