Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Paleontology
Your toy stegosaurus may be a girl
Male and female stegosaurs may have looked different, a new study finds.
- Animals
Bees may like neonicotinoids, but some may be harmed
Two high-profile tests raise worries that bees can’t avoid neonicotinoid pesticides and that wild species are at special risk.
- Animals
Only three wolves left on Michigan island
Without an infusion of new wolves, the Isle Royale wolf population, and the famous study associated with it, will die off.
- Particle Physics
Particle hunting in space, life in the urban jungle and more reader feedback
Readers discuss wheat's journey to England, share stories about urban wildlife and more.
-
- Animals
Growth of mining on land may promote invasions at sea
Ballast water taken in to keep ships stable could, when discharged elsewhere, release species that become invasive in their new homes.
- Life
Bolder snails grow stronger shells
Bold snails have tougher shells than shy snails. Understanding what drives snails to develop such differences is a bit of a challenge.
- Animals
Finland’s brown bears on surprise fast track to recover diversity
Brown bears in southern Finland show surprisingly fast improvements in genetic diversity and connections with other bears.
- Animals
When mom serves herself as dinner
For this spider, extreme motherhood ends with a fatal family feast.
- Animals
Whether froglets switch sexes distinguishes ‘sex races’
Rana temporaria froglets start all female in one region of Europe; in another region, new froglets of the same species have gonads of either sex.
- Plants
Bits of bacterial DNA naturally lurk inside sweet potatoes
Samples of cultivated sweet potatoes worldwide carry DNA from Agrobacterium cousin of bacterium used for GMOs.
- Ecosystems
Before you plant this spring, consider the birds
A study of Chicago neighborhoods finds that the plants in private yards influence the variety of birds that live in the area.
