Life

Sign up for our newsletter

We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Neuroscience

    Crayfish get anxious, too

    After receiving a shock, crayfish act anxious, avoiding brightly lit areas.

    By
  2. Animals

    Look beyond pest species to find beauty in cockroaches

    A few pest species give the group a bad name, but exotic roaches include an amazing diversity of colors and lifestyles.

    By
  3. Animals

    See your lawn through a bird’s eyes with YardMap

    A new web tool lets you map your outdoor spaces and wildlife habitat, helping scientists understand how birds use urban and suburban spaces.

    By
  4. Paleontology

    Ancient fish may have set stage for jaws

    A fish called Metaspriggina walcotti, which lived roughly 500 million years ago, had body parts that may have later evolved into jaws.

    By
  5. Animals

    Ant sperm swim as a team

    The desert ant has sperm that swim in bundles for extra speed, perhaps increasing their likelihood of fertilizing an egg.

    By
  6. Health & Medicine

    Bacteria linked to stress-induced heart attacks

    Bacteria may play an underlying role in heart attacks brought on by stress.

    By
  7. Animals

    Winter road salting reshapes next summer’s butterflies

    Winter road salt treatments boost sodium in roadside plants and alter development for monarch butterflies.

    By
  8. Animals

    Deadly bat disease gets easier to diagnose

    White-nose syndrome in bats can be spotted with UV light, scientists have found.

    By
  9. Life

    Oxytocin stimulates repair of old mice’s muscles

    The naturally produced hormone oxytocin, well known for its role in social bonding, may help heal injured muscles in the elderly.

    By
  10. Health & Medicine

    Anesthesia linked to effects on children’s memory

    Undergoing anesthesia as an infant may impair a person's ability to recall details later in life, a new study suggests.

    By
  11. Neuroscience

    Rats feel regret, experiment finds

    When they turn down a good meal for a lesser one, rodents regret their choice, a study suggests.

    By
  12. Paleontology

    Preserved pterosaur eggs hint at reptile’s social life

    The first 3-D pterosaur eggs, which were found in China, suggest that the flying reptiles laid eggs together.

    By