Life

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Animals

    Piggyback rides and other crocodile fun

    We don’t know the playful side of crocodiles perhaps only because we haven’t looked.

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  2. Anthropology

    ‘The Invaders’ sees dogs as key to modern humans’ success

    Neandertals went extinct when Homo sapiens transformed wolves into hunting aids, author proposes.

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  3. Animals

    Conservationists should make friends with hunters

    A survey of outdoor enthusiasts in rural New York finds that both hunters and birdwatchers are likely to engage in conservation behaviors, such as donating money.

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  4. Animals

    Why orangutans cup their mouths to sound an alarm

    Orangutans might use their hands to lower the pitch of alarm calls, a study suggests.

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  5. Life

    Turning the gut microbiome into a chat room

    Bacterial communication molecules can help shape microbial communities after antibiotics.

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  6. Animals

    Parasites make cannibal shrimp hungry

    Parasites make sometimes-cannibalistic shrimp more cannibalistic, a new study suggests.

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  7. Paleontology

    Fearsome croc called the Carolina Butcher once ruled the north

    Early ancestors of crocodiles, not dinosaurs, may have been northern Pangaea’s top predator 230 million years ago, according to a new fossil find.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Prospective Crohn’s drug yields high rate of remission

    An experimental Crohn’s disease drug triggers a high remission rate in patients.

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  9. Genetics

    History of the United Kingdom revealed in its genes

    A genetics study finds subtle differences that reveal secrets about the history and ancestry of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

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  10. Humans

    History of the United Kingdom revealed in its genes

    A genetics study finds subtle differences that reveal secrets about the history and ancestry of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

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  11. Animals

    How velvet worms slime their prey

    Researchers have figured out the mechanics behind velvet worms’ wobbly slime jets.

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  12. Ecosystems

    Even fast-breeding rabbits can’t withstand Everglades python invasion

    Even marsh rabbits in the Everglades can’t breed fast enough to keep their population going when Burmese pythons warm up for summer hunting.

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