Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Animals
You might be reading your dog’s moods wrong
A dog's physical cues often take a back seat to environmental ones, skewing humans' perceptions, a small study suggests.
- Animals
Is that shark ticking? In a first, a shark is recorded making noise
The ocean can be a symphony of fish grunts, hums and growls. Now add tooth-clacking sharks to the score.
- Plants
A nearly century-old dead date palm tree helped solve an ancestry mystery
The iconic Cape Verde date palm came from commercial trees gone feral and could provide genetic variety to boost the resilience of its tamer relatives.
- Animals
A tardigrade protein helped reduce radiation damage in mice
Mouse cells tweaked to produce the tardigrade protein incurred less DNA damage than unaltered cells — hinting at a new tool for cancer patient care.
- Health & Medicine
Tuberculosis could be eradicated. So why isn’t it?
John Green’s new book, Everything Is Tuberculosis, reveals how social injustice sustains the disease, despite available cures and vaccines.
- Agriculture
How silicon turns tomato plants into mean, green, pest-killing machines
Treated plants fight pests without the need for toxic pesticides, oozing a "larval toffee" that stunts tomato pinworms’ growth and attracts predators.
- Health & Medicine
A deep brain stimulation volunteer discusses life after depression
In this bonus episode of The Deep End, you’ll hear an update from Jon Nelson, who is living what he calls his "bonus life."
- Animals
Plastic ‘fossils’ help scientists reconstruct the history of bird nests
Plastic waste has let common coots reuse nests year after year. Scientists have now used the trash layers to date how old nests are.
- Neuroscience
Human memory is flawed. But a new book says that’s OK
The new book Memory Lane convincingly demonstrates how memories are like Lego buildings that are constantly being rebuilt.
- Animals
Hammerhead sharks’ diets may affect if they roam or stay home
Understanding hammerhead sharks’ food preferences could aid efforts to protect the critically endangered fish.
- Animals
Gray seals may sense their own blood oxygen levels
The seals’ ability to detect the amount of oxygen in their blood may help them make diving decisions and avoid drowning.
- Neuroscience
Babies can form memories, and they do it a lot like adults
A brain scanning study of babies reveals how some of the earliest memories are made.
