Paleontology
Was the ‘American cheetah’ a cheetah at all?
Ancient DNA confirms Miracinonyx trumani was more closely related to modern pumas than cheetahs and had a more varied diet than previously thought.
Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
More Stories in Life
- Science & Society
To nap or not to nap? Science is still waking up to the question
Many people struggle to sleep enough at night. Surprisingly, science cannot say if adding in a nap to sleep in two blocks is healthy.
- Health & Medicine
Your skin chemistry may affect which mosquitoes most want to bite you
Three species preferred different people based on their skin odor and bacteria. The findings could help make new microbe-based repellants.
- Animals
Monkeys hunt small animals when fruit is scarce
Capuchins hunt and eat small vertebrates more often as plant foods wane. The behavior may help us learn more about humans’ early dietary evolution.
- Paleontology
Once upon a time, insects had 24 legs
A many-legged oddball from long ago helps fill a major gap in the fossil record — and hints at how insects ended up with just six legs.
- Neuroscience
How memories may survive hibernation
Hibernating mice rapidly lost and regrew half of the connections in their memory centers, while key connection hubs survived.
- Health & Medicine
Less sugar early in life might decrease dementia risk
Children exposed to World War II sugar rationing had lower dementia and Alzheimer’s risk decades later, data suggest.
- Animals
Heat therapy for sick frogs lowers sperm levels
Scientists often use thermal treatment to combat fatal fungal infection in frogs, but it may come at a cost.
- Neuroscience
Personalized brain stimulation can ease chronic pain
A week-long brain mapping session can lead to lasting relief, a case series of three pain patients shows.
- Neuroscience
Motor neurons don’t just move muscles. They may direct that motion too
A fruit fly study shows motor neurons do more than relay commands: They send signals back to the brain and organize movement sequences.
