Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Paleontology
Bubbles may have sheltered Earth’s early life
Bubbles formed on ancient shorelines offer scientists a new place to look for traces of early life.
- Health & Medicine
Anatomy of the South Korean MERS outbreak
The Middle East respiratory syndrome virus, which infected 186 people in South Korea in 2015, quickly spread within and between hospitals via a handful of “superspreaders.”
- Agriculture
Number of wild bees drops where they’re needed most
Wild bee abundance in the United States is lowest in agricultural regions, according to a new model.
- Life
Tweaking the pattern equations
A more than 60-year-old theory about how patterns in nature form gets an update.
- Animals
Fog ferries mercury from the ocean to land animals
Scientists have traced mercury in the waters of the Pacific Ocean to animals, including mountain lions, in California.
- Life
Upending daily rhythm triggers fat cell growth
Constant production of stress hormone spurs fat growth.
- Genetics
Roosters run afoul of genetic rules
Moms aren’t always the only ones that pass mitochondrial DNA to offspring, a study of chickens finds.
- Health & Medicine
To treat the heart, start with the gut
Preventing gut bacteria from making certain chemical compounds reduced artery clogging in mice, researchers report.
- Animals
Male monkeys go rouge for mating season
Bright red lip color separates players from bachelors during monkey mating season.
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- Animals
Algal toxin impairs sea lion memory
California sea lions that have brain damage linked to domoic acid poisoning have impaired spatial memory, a new study finds.
- Life
In the body, cells move like flocks of birds or schools of fish
Cells move in groups similarly to flocks of birds and schools of fish
