Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Materials Science
Butterfly-inspired nanostructures can sort light
Scientists re-created a nanostructure found on butterflies that can separate out circularly polarized light, a characteristic that may be useful for telecommunications.
- Life
Scientists dig up proteins from the past
To learn how today’s proteins evolved, scientists are reconstructing ancient molecules.
- Animals
Pandas have ultrasonic hearing
Giant pandas hear very high frequencies. Scientists still don’t know why.
- Animals
Animals get safe spots to cross the road — and car collisions drop
Over- and underpasses built for wildlife in Wyoming proved a success for both the animals and the humans traveling the roads.
- Environment
Deepwater Horizon oil spill caused months-long ‘dirty blizzard’
Pollution from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill accumulated on the seafloor for months after the leak was patched.
- Neuroscience
Morphine may make pain last longer
Instead of busting pain, morphine lengthened the duration of pain in rats with a nerve injury.
- Science & Society
Biologist Kate Rubins’ big dream takes her to the space station
Molecular biologist Kate Rubins led a 14-person virology lab before becoming an astronaut. She heads to the International Space Station on June 24.
- Life
Bacteria resistant to last-resort antibiotic appears in U.S.
For the first time in the United States, scientists have reported a patient infected with a strain of bacteria carrying the gene mrc-1, making it resistant to the last-ditch antibiotic colistin.
- Animals
Counting cats is hard, but we know the numbers aren’t good
Recent studies highlight the difficulty of counting big cats, but even imperfect counts show that these species are in trouble.
- Life
Fruit fly’s giant sperm is quite an exaggeration
Giant sperm, about 20 times a male fruit fly’s body length, could make the insects the champs of supersized sexual ornaments.
- Neuroscience
Alzheimer’s culprit may fight other diseases
A notorious Alzheimer’s villain may help bust microbes.
- Life
Women in sports are often underrepresented in science
More and more women are taking up recreational and competitive sports. But when it comes to exercise science, the studies don’t reflect that trend.
