Life

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

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  1. Life

    Octopuses move with uncoordinated arms

    An octopus crawls unlike any other animal. Mimicking the cephalopod’s control over its movements may lead to more agile robots.

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  2. Neuroscience

    When brain’s GPS goes awry, barriers can reboot it

    Brain’s internal map self-corrects when it hits a (literal) wall.

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  3. Animals

    How many manatees live in Florida?

    The most recent official count reports more than 6,000 manatees in Florida waters, but a new estimate may give a better picture of the population.

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  4. Life

    ‘Geographic tongue’ creates unique topography

    A condition called ‘geographic tongue’ makes mouth organ appear maplike.

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  5. 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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  6. 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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  7. 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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  8. 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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  9. Neuroscience

    Nicotine exposure escalates rats’ desire for alcohol

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

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  10. 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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  11. 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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  12. Neuroscience

    Marijuana component fights epilepsy

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

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