Life

Sign up for our newsletter

We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Cosmology

    2014 Kavli Prize winners announced

    Cosmic inflation, nanoscale imaging and a better understanding of memory earn million-dollar honors with the Kavli Prize.

    By
  2. Life

    Polio could return after near eradication

    Polio was considered eliminated in the United States by 1979, but since then vaccination rates have slipped, prompting concerns about reemergence.

    By
  3. Animals

    Reef fish get riled when intruders glow red

    A male fairy wrasse gets feisty when he can see a rival’s colorful fluorescent patches.

    By
  4. Animals

    Toxic toad infiltrates Madagascar

    Asian common toads may have hopped a ride to Madagascar and could pose an ecological risk to the island's native species.

    By
  5. Life

    Human use energy in brains, muscles differently than chimps do

    The way our brains and muscles use energy is strikingly distinct compared with chimpanzees' metabolism in these tissues, a finding that may explain the major differences between the two species.

    By
  6. Science & Society

    Stem cell scientist reportedly agrees to retract controversial paper

    Japanese stem cell scientist Haruko Obokata has agreed to retract one of the Jan. 30 Nature papers on STAP cells.

    By
  7. Animals

    Zebra finches can detect variations in human speech

    When humans vary the pitch or rhythm of their speech, zebra finches perceive the changes, suggesting that the ability to detect such variations is not linked to language.

    By
  8. Paleontology

    Age and origin of Earth’s early fossils questioned

    Some of Earth's earliest trace fossils may not be fossils at all, a new study argues.

    By
  9. Life

    Ebola vaccine shows promise for saving apes

    Results of a clinical trial suggest that vaccination of wild apes could protect them from infectious diseases.

    By
  10. Life

    Starchy foods more filling than fiber, lab tests suggest

    Tests of gut microbe digestion of potato starch and fiber suggest that moving away from grass-heavy ancestral diets may not be the reason for obesity epidemic.

    By
  11. Animals

    New salamander stays young at heart

    A new salamander species was long mistaken for the juvenile form of another.

    By
  12. Plants

    Island life prompts evolution of larger plant seeds

    In 40 species of plants, the island versions of seeds were larger than mainland counterparts, perhaps to keep the seeds from being lost at sea.

    By