Life

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Life

    Bacteria’s tail spins make water droplets swirl

    When bacteria band together, they can turn a fairly tame drop of water into a swirling vortex.

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  2. Animals

    Fish-eating spiders are the stuff of nightmares

    Spiders that feast on fish can be found on every continent but Antarctica, a new review finds.

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  3. Animals

    Passenger pigeon population had booms and busts

    DNA says the birds recovered from hard times — until people came along.

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  4. Life

    Autoimmune diseases stopped in mice

    Reprogramming immune cells may offer a way to treat autoimmune diseases without harming the body’s ability to fight infections.

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  5. Neuroscience

    Sunbathing may boost endorphins in the body and brain

    UV light makes mice churn out a molecule that is a cousin of morphine and heroin, a finding that may explain why some people seek out sunshine.

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  6. Environment

    Triclosan may spoil wastewater treatment

    Common antimicrobial could make microbes more drug resistant and less efficient at breaking down sewage sludge in municipal treatment plants.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    Simple blood test detects heart transplant rejection

    Heart transplant recipients whose bodies are starting to reject the new organ might carry genetic warning signs.

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  8. Genetics

    Gene variant tied to diabetes in Greenlanders

    Greenlanders who carry two copies of a newly discovered gene variant have upwards of 10 times the chance of developing type 2 diabetes.

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  9. Neuroscience

    Stress hormone kicks brain cells into gear

    Norepinephrine, a stress hormone, wakes up cells called astroglia, possibly shifting brain into vigilant state.

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  10. Tech

    Robo-fly steadies flight with onboard sensor

    Scaling a robot to the size of a fly and stabilizing its flight with onboard sensors offers clues to how live insects stay steady in mid-air.

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  11. Life

    Here’s the poop on getting your gut microbiome analyzed

    One Science News writer donated her used toilet paper for science and learned that microbiome research is as uncharted as the Wild West.

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  12. Animals

    In emergencies, fire ants get lots of grips to form rafts

    First look inside fire ant architecture shows how lots of leg grips assemble rafts, bridges and balls.

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