Life

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Animals

    For some salamanders, finding a mate is a marathon

    Small-mouthed salamanders will travel close to nine kilometers on average to mate, a new study finds.

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  2. Earth

    ‘Waterworld’ Earth preceded late rise of continents, scientist proposes

    Cooling mantle temperatures may have lifted Earth’s continents above sea level, helping spur the Cambrian explosion.

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  3. Neuroscience

    Pregnancy linked to long-term changes in mom’s brain

    Pregnancy can sculpt a mother’s brain in a way that may help her tune in to her baby.

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  4. Tech

    Cells snack on nanowires

    Human cells eat silicon nanowires in a process called phagocytosis. Nanowire-infused cells could be a step towards biological electronic devices.

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  5. Animals

    Chimps look at behinds the way we look at faces

    Humans demonstrate something called the inversion effect when gazing at faces. Chimpanzees do this too — when looking at other chimps’ butts.

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  6. Genetics

    50 years ago, alcohol use was linked to several gene variants

    50 years later, scientists are still searching for genes that influence drinking.

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  7. Genetics

    Proteins that reprogram cells can turn back mice’s aging clock

    Proteins that reprogram adult cells to an embryonic-like state can rejuvenate prematurely aging mice.

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  8. Animals

    Genome clues help explain the strange life of seahorses

    Researchers have decoded the genetic instruction manual of a seahorse (Hippocampus comes) and found clues to its nearly 104-million-year evolutionary history.

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  9. Climate

    Arctic kelp forests may create summer refuges from ocean acidification

    Long summer daylight revs up carbon capture in Arctic kelp forests, offering a little relief from acidifying ocean water.

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  10. Genetics

    Year in review: ‘Three-parent baby’ technique raises hope and concern

    Safety and ethical concerns surround controversial mitochondrial replacement therapy.

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  11. Climate

    Year in review: Sea ice loss will shake up ecosystems

    Researchers are studying the complex biological consequences of polar melting and opening Arctic passageways.

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  12. Genetics

    Year in review: How humans populated the globe

    DNA studies put new twists on timing of ancient human migrations – but genetics alone are not enough to tell the full story.

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