Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
Zika cases are down, but researchers prepare for the virus’s return
The number of Zika cases in the Western Hemisphere have dropped this year, but the need for basic scientific and public health research of the virus remains strong.
- Animals
Ticks had a taste for dinosaur blood
A tick found trapped in amber is evidence the bloodsuckers preyed on feathered dinosaurs, a new study says.
- Life
Mini brains may wrinkle and fold just like ours
Brain organoids show how ridges and wrinkles may form.
- Life
Not all of a cell’s protein-making machines do the same job
Ribosomes may switch up their components to specialize in building proteins.
- Animals
Once settled, immigrants play important guard roles in mongoose packs
Dwarf mongoose packs ultimately benefit from taking in immigrants, but there’s an assimilation period.
- Animals
This ancient marsupial lion had an early version of ‘bolt-cutter’ teeth
Extinct dog-sized predator crunched with unusual slicers toward the back of its jaw.
- Health & Medicine
When tumors fuse with blood vessels, clumps of breast cancer cells can spread
Breast cancer tumors may merge with blood vessels to help the cancer spread.
- Animals
Narwhals react to certain dangers in a really strange way
After escaping a net, narwhals significantly lower their heart rate while diving quickly to get away from humans.
- Artificial Intelligence
AI eavesdrops on dolphins and discovers six unknown click types
An algorithm uncovered the new types of echolocation sounds among millions of underwater recordings from the Gulf of Mexico.
- Genetics
CRISPR/Cas9 can reverse multiple diseases in mice
A new gene therapy uses CRISPR/Cas9 to turn on dormant genes.
- Paleontology
This new dinosaur species was one odd duck
Weird dino swimmer had flipperlike limbs and a swanlike neck.
- Materials Science
New 3-D printed materials harness the power of bacteria
The three-dimensional materials contain live bacteria and could generate wound dressings or clean up pollutants.
