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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Animals

    This caterpillar wears the body parts of insect prey

    Dubbed the “bone collector,” this caterpillar found on a Hawaiian island disguises itself while stalking spider webs for trapped insects to eat.

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  2. Animals

    Bats wearing tiny mics reveal how the fliers avoid rush hour collisions

    As thousands of bats launch nightly hunting, the cacophony of a dense crowd should stymie echolocation, a so-called “cocktail party nightmare.”

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  3. Animals

    The story of dire wolves goes beyond de-extinction

    Some question whether the pups are really dire wolves, or just genetically tweaked gray wolves. But the technology could be used to help at-risk animals.

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  4. Earth

    More details about the Myanmar earthquake are emerging

    A phenomenon called liquefaction, which causes the ground to slump like quicksand, led to significant damage after the Myanmar earthquake. The risk of aftershock remains high.

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  5. Plants

    Watch live plant cells build their cell walls

    Imaging wall-less plant cells every six minutes for 24 hours revealed how the cells build their protective barriers.

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  6. Physics

    Calls to restart nuclear weapons tests stir dismay and debate among scientists

    Many scientists say “subcritical” experiments and computer simulations make nuclear weapons testing unnecessary.

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  7. Animals

    You might be reading your dog’s moods wrong

    A dog's physical cues often take a back seat to environmental ones, skewing humans' perceptions, a small study suggests.

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  8. Neuroscience

    Parrots and humans share a brain mechanism for speech

    Brain activity in vocalizing budgerigar parrots showed a pattern that harkened to those found in the brains of people.

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  9. Animals

    Narwhals may use their iconic tusks to play

    Videos show narwhals using their tusks in several ways, including prodding and flipping a fish. It’s the first reported evidence of the whales playing.

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  10. Science & Society

    It’s ‘personal.’ What the Stand Up for Science rally meant for attendees

    Stand Up for Science rallies in Washington, D.C., and across the United States drew crowds of people worried about cuts to scientific funding.

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  11. Physics

    The sound of clapping, explained by physics

    The “Helmholtz resonator” concept explains the frequencies of sound produced by clapping the hands together in different configurations.

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  12. Animals

    In a first, zebra cams reveal herds on the move with giraffes

    Six zebras wore video cameras attached to collars, capturing the equines’ daily life. Sticking with giraffes may let the two species protect each other.

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