Life

Sign up for our newsletter

We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Animals

    Geneticists close in on how mosquitoes sniff out human sweat

    A long-sought protein proves vital for mosquitoes’ ability to detect lactic acid, a great clue for finding a human.

    By
  2. Science & Society

    The science of CBD lags behind its marketing

    Editor in Chief Nancy Shute discusses the lack of scientific research on CBD.

    By
  3. Science & Society

    The CBD boom is way ahead of the science

    As CBD-laced foods and health products gain popularity, researchers are just beginning to fill the gaping holes in knowledge about this cannabis molecule’s benefits.

    By
  4. Health & Medicine

    Epileptic seizures may scramble memories during sleep

    Overnight seizures seemed to muddle memories in people with epilepsy.

    By
  5. Health & Medicine

    A single sweaty workout may boost some people’s memory

    Memory improvements after a short bout of exercise mirrored those seen after months of training.

    By
  6. Health & Medicine

    Signs of new nerve cells spotted in adult brains

    A study finds new evidence that adult brains grow new nerve cells, even the brain of an octogenarian.

    By
  7. Paleontology

    Saber-toothed cats were fierce and family-oriented

    New details shift the debate on whether Smilodon lived and hunted in packs, and answer questions about other behaviors and abilities.

    By
  8. Neuroscience

    Women have a new weapon against postpartum depression, but it’s costly

    The newly approved drug brexanolone simulates a natural hormone to alleviate symptoms of postpartum depression.

    By
  9. Paleontology

    Newfound fossils in China highlight a dizzying diversity of Cambrian life

    A new treasure trove of Cambrian fossils in China dating to 518 million years ago could rival Canada’s Burgess Shale.

    By
  10. Health & Medicine

    A new ketamine-based antidepressant raises hope — and questions

    Little is known about the long-term effects on people of a newly approved antidepressant based on the anesthetic ketamine.

    By
  11. Paleontology

    In a first, a fossilized egg is found preserved inside an ancient bird

    Scientists have found the first known fossil of a bird that died with an unlaid egg inside its body. The egg has been crushed by pressure over time.

    By
  12. Animals

    How a tiger transforms into a man-eater

    ‘No Beast So Fierce’ examines the historical and environmental factors that turned a tiger in Nepal and India into a human-killer.

    By