Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Genetics
Feng Zhang: Editing DNA
Scientist Feng Zhang has developed a system to easily and precisely edit genomes.
- Animals
Blue-footed boobies dirty their eggs to hide them from predators
Blue-footed boobies lay bright white eggs on the ground. Dirtying the eggs camouflages them against gulls, a new study finds.
- Life
Old stem cell barriers fade away
Barrier that keeps aging factors out of stem cells breaks down with age.
- Health & Medicine
In 1965, hopes were high for artificial hearts
Developing artificial hearts took longer than expected, and improved devices are still under investigation.
- Oceans
Giant barrel sponges are hijacking Florida’s coral reefs
Giant barrel sponges are gradually taking over and threatening Florida’s coral reefs, a new census suggests.
- Animals
Why we need predators
It might be easy to say that we should wipe out species that can kill us. But the effects of such action would be far ranging.
- Animals
Warmer waters give Arctic mosquitoes a growth spurt
Arctic mosquitoes develop faster in warmer waters, outpacing increased predation.
- Animals
Dogs flub problem-solving test
Confronting a tough task, dogs are more likely than wolves to give up and gaze at a human
- Animals
For a female mosquito, the wrong guy can mean no babies
Male Asian tiger mosquitoes leave female yellow fever mosquitoes uninterested in mating with their own species, a process known as “satyrization.”
- Genetics
Evolution caught red-handed
Scientists have named a new gene on the fruit fly Y chromosome “flagrante delicto Y.”
- Ecosystems
Patrolling bats protect corn fields from pests
Bats play a key role in protecting corn from pests and fungus.
- Animals
Shipwreck provides window into Tudor-era cod fishing
In the 1500s, England was feeding its navy with fish caught far from home, a new study finds.
