Life

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Life

    Encountering an unexpected Pluto and life’s complexity

    Just as genetic analyses are revealing details of life’s long history, the New Horizons probe is bringing the fuzzy surface of Pluto into focus.

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  2. Neuroscience

    Global warming unpaused, how space affects the brain and more reader feedback

    A reader shares a story about Stephen Jay Gould, while others discuss how to protect the brain from radiation in space and whether 2014 was the hottest year on record.

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  3. Life

    The tree of life gets a makeover

    Biology’s tree of life has morphed from the familiar classroom version emphasizing kingdoms into a complex depiction of supergroups, in which animals are aligned with a slew of single-celled cousins.

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  4. Health & Medicine

    Resveratrol’s anticancer benefits show up in low doses

    Small amounts of the compound found in red wine and grapes prove protective against colon cancer in mice fed a high-fat diet.

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  5. Neuroscience

    Brain activity in unconscious patients offers new views of awareness

    As more people survive serious brain injury, researchers are using EEG and fMRI to learn who is aware inside an unresponsive body.

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  6. Ecosystems

    Encased algae create kaleidoscope of color

    The skeletons of diatoms, algae that produce oxygen but also form toxic blooms, can create beautiful microscopic designs.

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  7. Animals

    On the importance of elephant poop

    Asian elephants are key dispersers for tree seeds. A new study finds that buffalo and cattle can also disperse the seeds, but not nearly as well.

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  8. Animals

    Toddler seahorses are bumbling and adorable

    Rice-grain-sized youngsters can’t yet get a grasp with their tails.

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  9. Neuroscience

    Age affects brain’s response to anesthesia

    Anesthesia has different effects on young and old brains.

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  10. Animals

    Help ornithologists develop bird photo ID tool

    Cornell ornithology lab’s computer identification of common North American avian species needs your photos.

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  11. Life

    Antibody that fights MERS found

    Scientists have isolated a human immune protein that fights the MERS virus in mice.

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  12. Life

    Microbes’ role in truffle scents not trifling

    Truffles make their prized aroma with a little help from their microbes, chemists suggest.

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