Life

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Life

    Researchers pull fingers to solve why knuckles crack

    Knuckle cracking is the sound of a bubble forming in a joint, MRI images reveal.

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  2. Health & Medicine

    Same mutations can show up in tumors, healthy tissues

    Analyzing samples of healthy and tumor tissues could pinpoint which mutations are driving cancer and help develop better-targeted treatments.

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  3. Health & Medicine

    Why cancer patients waste away

    A tumor-produced protein that interferes with insulin causes wasting in fruit flies with cancer.

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  4. Animals

    Shimmer and shine may help prey sabotage predators’ aim

    Iridescent prey was more difficult to strike in a video game for birds.

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  5. Neuroscience

    Nicotine exposure escalates rats’ desire for alcohol

    Rats drink more alcohol after they’ve been hooked on nicotine.

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  6. Plants

    From lemons to kumquats, roots of citrus variety dug up

    Citrus fruits’ lineage is traced through chloroplast DNA, revealing both maternal and paternal heritage.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    Genes may influence placebo effect

    Certain gene variants may predispose people to experience the placebo effect, which may have implications for clinical trials and personalized medicine.

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  8. Neuroscience

    Marijuana component fights epilepsy

    A buzz-free extract of marijuana could help epilepsy patients whose seizures resist other treatments.

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  9. Plants

    Plants suck in nicotine from nearby smokers

    Peppermint plants can build up nicotine from tobacco dropped on their soil or smoked indoors.

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  10. Science & Society

    The Angelina effect should be about knowing your cancer risk

    Angelina Jolie’s public message about her medical decisions related to cancer is about knowing your risks for disease, not hers.

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  11. Neuroscience

    Serotonin and the science of sex

    Some scientists say that low serotonin makes male mice mate with males and females. Others disagree. In the end, it’s not about sexual preference, but about how science works.

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  12. Genetics

    Mountain gorilla genome reveals inbreeding

    Mountain gorillas are highly inbred, with good and bad consequences.

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