Life

  1. Health & Medicine

    Sleeping pills may have unexpected effects on the snoozing brain

    As scientists unravel how sleep benefits the body, a study in mice is highlighting the potential pitfalls of using Ambien and other sleep aids.

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  2. Ecosystems

    Extinct moa ate purple trufflelike fungi, fossil bird droppings reveal

    DNA analysis reveals the big, flightless moa birds ate — and pooped out — 13 kinds of fungi, including ones crucial for New Zealand’s forest ecosystem.

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  3. Paleontology

    Earth’s first waterfowl may have lived in Antarctica 69 million years ago

    A few fossilized body parts hinted at an enigmatic bird's close ties to waterfowl like ducks and geese. A newfound skull may bolster that idea.

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  4. Science & Society

    Will the Endangered Species Act survive Trump?

    President Trump has already begun to introduce changes that weaken the Endangered Species Act, a cornerstone of U.S. conservation law.

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  5. Life

    A new book explores the evolutionary romance between plants and animals

    Riley Black’s new book, When the Earth was Green, uses the latest research to envision the ancient worlds of our favorite prehistoric animals.

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  6. Health & Medicine

    Plastic shards permeate human brains

    A study of microplastics and nanoplastics in brains shows an astonishing increase over time.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    Welcome to The Deep End, a new podcast about brain implants and depression

    This new six-part podcast follows the lives of people with severe depression who volunteered for deep brain stimulation.

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  8. Animals

    Hotter cities? Here come the rats

    Well, rats. A study of 16 cities shows that higher ambient temperatures and loss of green space are associated with increasing rodent complaints.

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  9. Science & Society

    Do science dioramas still have a place in today’s museums?

    Science dioramas of yesteryear can highlight the biases of the time. Exhibit experts are reimagining, annotating — and sometimes mothballing — the scenes.

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  10. Animals

    Wild baboons don’t recognize themselves in a mirror

    In a lab test, chimps and orangutans can recognize their own reflection. But in the wild, baboons seemingly can’t do the same.

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  11. Neuroscience

    Scratching an itch is so good, and so bad

    The motion kicks off inflammation but may also combat harmful bacteria 

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  12. Animals

    Feeding sharks ‘junk food’ takes a toll on their health

    Many blacktip reef sharks in French Polynesia are commonly fed by tourists. But the low-quality diet is changing the sharks’ behavior and physiology.

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