Life

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Paleontology

    Oldest known avian relative of today’s birds found in China

    Fossil find suggests modern birds’ oldest avian relative lived about 6 million years before previous record holder.

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  2. Animals

    Stretchy nerves help some big whales open wide

    Blue whales and their closest relatives have stretchy nerves near their mouths so they can open wide and swallow a lot of prey.

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  3. Genetics

    ‘Brainbow’ illuminates cellular connections

    A mouse’s optic nerve fluoresces in a rainbow of colors. The image offers a detailed look at nerve-protector cells called oligodendrocytes.

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  4. Genetics

    Gene therapy for blindness dims a bit

    Gene therapy improves vision temporarily but can’t save sight.

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  5. Neuroscience

    Zipping to Mars could badly zap brain nerve cells

    Charged particles like the ones astronauts might encounter wallop the brain, mouse study suggests.

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  6. Plants

    How slow plants make ridiculous seeds

    Coco de mer palms scrimp, save and take not quite forever creating the world’s largest seeds.

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  7. Animals

    Lazy sunfish are actually active predators

    Ocean sunfish were once thought to be drifting eaters of jellyfish. But they’re not, new research shows.

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  8. Animals

    Beetle’s toxic, explosive vapor explained

    From a two-chambered gland in their rears, bombardier beetles unleash a toxic, blazing hot spray to defend themselves.

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  9. Genetics

    DNA disorganization linked to aging

    Changes in the way that DNA is tightly packed in cells leads to mayhem that promotes the aging process.

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  10. Animals

    Climate change revs up extinction risks

    One in six species on the planet may face extinction if the global temperatures continue to rise.

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  11. Animals

    Rock-wielding monkeys make adjustments when cracking nuts

    Videos show that monkeys carefully pound open nuts to avoid smashing kernels inside.

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  12. Plants

    Medfly control methods were ready for pest’s influx

    50 years ago, researchers prepared to greet Mediterranean fruit flies with sterile males.

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