Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Paleontology
A colossal ancient whale could be the heaviest animal ever known
Perucetus colossus may have tipped the scales at up to 340 metric tons, but some scientists are skeptical it could have sustained that mass.
- Animals
The newfound Los Angeles thread millipede is ready for its close-up
Found in Southern California, Illacme socal is the third of its genus found in North America, with the rest of its relatives scattered around the world.
- Neuroscience
Playful behavior in rats is controlled by a specific area of their brains
Cells in a brain region called the periaqueductal gray are activated by chasing and tickling, a study finds. Blocking their activity reduces play in rats.
- Math
How geometry solves architectural problems for bees and wasps
Adding five - and seven - sided cells in pairs during nest building helps the colonyfit together differently sized hexa gonal cells , a new study shows.
- Animals
Some African birds follow nomadic ants to their next meal
Specialized interactions between birds and driver ants in Africa could help explain why the birds are especially sensitive to forest disturbances.
- Humans
Human embryo replicas have gotten more complex. Here’s what you need to know
Lab-engineered human embryo models created from stem cells provide a look at development beyond the first week. But they raise ethical questions.
- Health & Medicine
With a new body mapping technique, mouse innards glow with exquisite detail
Removing cholesterol from mouse bodies lets fluorescently labeled proteins infiltrate every tissue, helping researchers to map entire body systems.
- Animals
In a ‘perfect comeback,’ some birds use antibird spikes to build their nests
The spikes were meant to keep birds away. But five corvid nests in Europe use the bird-deterrents as structural support and to ward off predators.
- Neuroscience
Elyse G.’s brain is fabulous. It’s also missing a big chunk
A new project explores interesting brains to better understand neural flexibility.
- Animals
Explore the past, present and future of ‘Eight Bears’
The book invites readers to meet the eight species of bears left on Earth and looks at how humans are shaping their future, for better or for worse.
- Ecosystems
This seagrass is taking over the Chesapeake Bay. That’s good and bad news
Higher water temperatures are wiping out eelgrass in the Chesapeake Bay and weedy widgeongrass is expanding. Here’s why that seagrass change matters.
- Paleontology
This ancient, Lovecraftian apex predator chased and pierced soft prey
Half a billion years ago, Anomalocaris canadensis probably used its bizarre headgear to reach out and snag soft prey with its spiky clutches.
