Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Genetics
Herbicide no match for fruit flies’ gut microbes
Friendly gut bacteria team up to break down herbicide that might otherwise harm fruit flies.
- Health & Medicine
No one-fits-all healthy diet exists
Mice’s response to diet varies with their genes.
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- Science & Society
GM mosquitoes succeed at reducing dengue, company says
GM mosquito releases in Brazil have helped cut dengue cases 91 percent in a year.
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- Animals
For jaguars, armored prey is no obstacle
With big heads, thick teeth and strong muscles, jaguars have evolved to take on dangerous prey, often animals covered with thick armor.
- Anthropology
Two groups spread early agriculture
The Fertile Crescent was a diverse place. Multiple cultures were involved in the dawn of farming.
- Paleontology
Why the turtle got its shell
Fossil evidence suggests that turtles’ ancestors started to form precursors to today’s shells to help them dig, not to protect themselves.
- Health & Medicine
Still mysterious, aging may prove malleable
Our editor in chief discusses the science of aging.
- Life
A healthy old age may trump immortality
Despite disagreements about what aging is and isn't, scientists have reached a radical consensus: It can be delayed.
- Neuroscience
The brain’s blueprint for aging is set early in life
The brain's decline may mirror its beginning, offering clues to aging.
- Animals
Organisms age in myriad ways — and some might not even bother
There is great variety in how animals and plants deteriorate (or don’t) over time.
