Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Genetics
Year in Review: Caffeine triggers cloning advance
To successfully clone human cells, eggs must be dunked in the stimulant.
- Animals
African frog conceals itself with chemicals
Two small peptides keep the West African savanna frog from being stung by ants.
- Science & Society
Year in Review: High court rules against gene patents
The justices’ decision opens the way for choices in DNA testing.
- Life
Year in Review: A double dose of virus scares
Outbreaks of two deadly viruses captured the world’s attention in 2013, but neither turned into the global pandemic expected to strike one of these years.
- Plants
Lone survivor of ancient flowers is gluttonous gene consumer
The rare Amborella shrub has engulfed whole genomes from other species.
- Life
Year in Review: Bioengineers make headway on human body parts
New techniques produce mimics of brain, liver, heart, kidney, retina.
- Life
Year in Review: Your body is mostly microbes
Microbiome results argue for new view of animals as superorganisms.
- Life
Solving the mystery of Alzheimer’s start
Molecular evildoers team up to launch neural destruction.
- Animals
Penguin huddles move like traffic jams
When one emperor penguin takes a step, he sets off a wave of movement.
- Neuroscience
Parkinson’s patients drive better with brain stimulation
Patients make fewer errors with a little help from implanted electrodes, at least on a computer.
- Neuroscience
Narcolepsy may be an autoimmune disease
Narcolepsy occurs when wayward immune forces launch an attack on brain cells responsible for wakefulness, a new study suggests.
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