Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Life
When it comes to the flu, the nose has a long memory
Mice noses have specialty immune cells with long memories.
- Animals
Sooty terns’ migration takes the birds into the path of hurricanes
Sooty terns migrate south from southern Florida and back again. The track sometimes takes the birds into the path of hurricanes, a new study finds.
- Neuroscience
Brains encode faces piece by piece
Cells in monkey brains build up faces by coding for different characteristics.
- Genetics
Mummy DNA unveils the history of ancient Egyptian hookups
A study of DNA extracted from Egyptian mummies untangles ancient ancestry and attempts to resolve quality issues.
- Paleontology
Sea scorpions slashed victims with swordlike tails
Ancient sea scorpion used a flexible, swordlike tail to hack at prey and defend against predators.
- Neuroscience
Obscure brain region linked to feeding frenzy in mice
Nerve cells in a little-studied part of the brain exert a powerful effect on eating, a mouse study suggests.
- Genetics
The Zika epidemic began long before anyone noticed
Zika spread undetected into Brazil and Florida, a genetic study suggests.
- Animals
Petite parrots provide insight into early flight
High-speed video shows that tiny parrots direct their hops to use the least amount of energy necessary.
- Life
How a flamingo balances on one leg
Flamingos’ built-in tricks for balance might have a thing or two to teach standing robots or prosthesis makers someday.
- Life
Mouse sperm survive space to spawn
Sperm freeze-dried and sent into space for months of exposure to high levels of solar radiation later produced healthy baby mice.
- Life
Mouse sperm survive space to fertilize eggs
Sperm freeze-dried and sent into space for months of exposure to high levels of solar radiation later produced healthy baby mice.
- Genetics
Hybrid protein offers malaria protection
Rare hybrid protein that spans red blood cell membranes offers some protection against malaria.
