Life

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Plants

    Beetle RNA makes crops a noxious meal

    When beetles munch plants bearing their RNA, genes the bugs need to survive are turned off.

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  2. Anthropology

    Wheat reached England before farming

    European hunter-gatherers may have traded for agricultural products 8,000 years ago.

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  3. Life

    Sexual conflict in mosquitoes may have worsened spread of malaria

    Sexual conflict in Anopheles mosquitoes may have intensified their power to fuel human malaria.

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  4. Humans

    Genetic tweaks built humans’ bigger brains

    Genetic tweaks may make human brains big.

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  5. Neuroscience

    Bees may merge their flower memories

    Bumblebees sometimes prefer fake flowers with the combined patterns and colors of ones seen before, suggesting they merge memories of past experiences.

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  6. Life

    Chili peppers’ pain-relieving secrets uncovered

    Scientists discover how stuff that makes chili peppers hot relieves pain.

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  7. Animals

    Some cicadas drum up a beat with the help of their wings

    By using their wings as drumsticks, so-called “mute” cicadas can make themselves heard.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Additives that keep foods fresh may sour in the gut

    Additives called emulsifiers that are used in ice cream and other foods weaken the intestines’ defenses against bacteria, causing inflammation in mice.

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  9. Life

    The eyes have it: Long lashes not so lovely

    Eyelashes can’t be too short or too long without ruining their aerodynamic protection.

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  10. Health & Medicine

    Stem cells from wisdom teeth could help repair corneas

    A study points to a potential new treatment for corneal blindness: Stem cells extracted from pulp from pulled wisdom teeth.

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  11. Animals

    Where an ant goes when it’s gotta go

    Scientists found black garden ants defecating in certain spots inside their nests. The researchers say these spots serve as ant toilets.

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  12. Health & Medicine

    For athletes, antioxidant pills may not help performance

    Supplements of vitamins C, E and other antioxidants may blunt the positive effects of exercise training.

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