Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Animals
Sponges boom thanks to Antarctic ice shelf bust
Previously thought to grow at a slow pace, the sea creatures exploded in number.
- Genetics
Killer whales are (at least) two species
Orca genetics highlights distinctions among groups that feed on different prey.
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- Neuroscience
Finding the brain’s common language
Erich Jarvis dreams of creating a talking chimpanzee. If his theories on language are right, that just might happen one day.
- Neuroscience
Memories lost and found
Drugs that help mice remember reveal role for epigenetics in recall.
- Life
Gene therapy treats children with rare diseases
Six kids are healthy, up to three years after treatment.
- Life
Bacterial molecules may prevent inflammatory bowel disease
Common compounds produced by gut microbes quench colitis in mice.
- Life
Lab-grown liver raises hopes but draws criticism
Though human cells spontaneously group into rudimentary organs, some scientists say work is very preliminary.
- Life
Deadly flu virus flourishes in lung cells
H7N9 influenza's clinging ability in humans and birds raises concerns about increased transmission between species.
- Animals
Hawkmoths squeak their genitals at threatening bats
Sounds of an approaching predator inspire ultrasonic rasping in insect prey.
- Animals
Highlights from the Evolution 2013 meeting
Selections from the meeting include a natural fish experiment, terrapins' light displays and why a variety of eye colors persist in people, presented June 21-25 in Snowbird, Utah.
- Animals
Gut microbes may put barrier between species
Wiping out gut bacteria in wasps saves crossbred offspring from death, suggesting that microbes may play a role in speciation.
