Life
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LifeAlgae use flagella to trot, gallop and move with gaits all their own
Single-celled microalgae, with no brains, can coordinate their “limbs” into a trot or fancier gait.
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ChemistryBeets bleed red but a chemistry tweak can create a blue hue
A new blue dye derived from beet juice might prove an alternative to synthetic blue dyes in foods, cosmetics or fabrics.
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NeuroscienceMice’s facial expressions can reveal a wide range of emotions
Pleasure, pain, fear and other feelings can be reflected in mice’s faces, sophisticated computational analyses show.
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AnimalsA cat appears to have caught the coronavirus, but it’s complicated
While a cat in Belgium seems to be the first feline infected with SARS-CoV-2, it’s still unclear how susceptible pets are to the disease.
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AnimalsParasitic worm populations are skyrocketing in some fish species used in sushi
Fishes worldwide harbor 283 times the number of Anisakis worms as fishes in the 1970s. Whether that’s a sign of environmental decline or recovery is unclear.
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Health & MedicineThere’s no evidence the coronavirus jumped from pangolins to people
Pangolins captured in anti-smuggling activities in southern China were found to harbor viruses related to the new coronavirus.
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PaleontologyFossils of a new dromaeosaur date to the end of the Age of Dinosaurs
Fossils from a new dromaeosaur recovered from New Mexico suggest these fierce predators were diversifying up to the end of the Age of Dinosaurs.
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GeneticsNo, the coronavirus wasn’t made in a lab. A genetic analysis shows it’s from nature
Scientists took conspiracy theories seriously and analyzed the coronavirus to reveal its natural origins.
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GeneticsSquid edit their genetic material in a uniquely weird place
Some squids’ seeming ability to edit RNA on the fly could help scientists develop a technique much like the DNA-editing tool CRISPR, but for RNA.
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LifeA new book captures how genetics fills in the story of life’s evolution
In Some Assembly Required, paleontologist Neil Shubin explores how genetic analyses complement paleontological research.
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Paleontology‘Wonderchicken’ is the earliest known modern bird at nearly 67 million years old
A new fossil find, dubbed the Wonderchicken, is a common ancestor of modern ducks and chickens.
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ClimateHow Hurricane Maria’s heavy rains devastated Puerto Rico’s forests
Hurricane Maria wreaked havoc on Puerto Rican forests in some unexpected ways.