Life

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Plants

    Scary tomato appears to bleed

    A new species of Australian bush tomato bleeds when injured and turns bony in old age.

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  2. Animals

    Electric eels play defense with a mighty leap

    A biologist finds evidence that a 200-year-old report of electric eels attacking horses may be true.

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  3. Ecosystems

    Ocean plankton held hostage by pirate viruses

    The most abundant photosynthesizers on Earth stop storing carbon when they catch a virus.

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  4. Neuroscience

    Abnormal sense of touch may play role in autism

    Autism-related genes are important for touch perception, a sense that may help the brain develop normally, a study of mice suggests.

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  5. Genetics

    Gene drives aren’t ready for the wild, report concludes

    A type of genetic engineering called gene drives need more work, a National Academies report concludes.

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  6. Life

    Refined ‘three-parent-baby’ procedure improves chances for healthy infant

    Improved technique could reduce risk of passing on faulty mitochondria.

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  7. Life

    Obesity’s weight gain message starts in gut

    Acetate made by gut microbes stimulates weight gain, research in rodents suggests.

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  8. Life

    By leaking light, squid hides in plain sight

    Glass squid camouflage their eyes with wonderfully inefficient bioluminescence.

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  9. Paleontology

    Human route into Americas traced via trail of bison fossils

    Bread crumbs in the form of ancient bison may mark one potential path that humans took to colonize the Americas.

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  10. Science & Society

    Francis Crick’s good luck revolutionized biology

    Francis Crick, born 100 years ago, chose to study molecular biology first and then later tackled consciousness.

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  11. Animals

    Maximum size of giant squid remains a mystery

    A scientist has come up with a new estimate of the maximum size of giant squid. He says the animals could be as long as two public buses.

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  12. Animals

    Pygmy blue whales deepen their moans

    Sri Lankan pygmy blue whales are tweaking their calls — making one part deeper and keeping another part the same — but scientists can’t say why. The finding injects a new wrinkle in theories about blue whale calls.

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