Life
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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
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LifeCancer cells self-destruct in blind mole rats
Underground rodents evolved a way to zap mutating tissue.
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LifeTrunk in cheek, elephant mimics Korean
Novel posture lets animal imitate sounds of human words.
By Susan Milius -
Science & SocietyInsect illustrator
Taina Litwak is an “art department of one” in D.C. for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Systematic Entomology Laboratory.
By Roberta Kwok -
LifeExtensive bird family tree rewrites some history
Unexpected pattern of evolution found across hemispheres.
By Susan Milius -
LifeAcross 1,000 genomes, rarities abound
Number of infrequent genetic variants reflects human population explosion and geographic diversity.
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LifeHunting dark matter with DNA
Particle physicists propose a new way to detect dark matter using the molecule of life.
By Tanya Lewis -
NeuroscienceHighlights from Neuroscience 2012
A collection of reports from the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, New Orleans.
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GeneticsCloning-like method targets mitochondrial diseases
Providing healthy ‘power plants’ in donor egg cells appears feasible in humans, a new study finds.
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PaleontologyEarliest primate had tree-climber ankles
A creature known only from fossils of its teeth gets some more parts.
By Susan Milius -
ChemistryHuman blood types have deep evolutionary roots
The ABO system may date back 20 million years or more, a genetic analysis suggests.
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LifeHind wings gave four-winged dino flight control
Much-debated rear wings could have given Microraptor extra help in airborne maneuvers.
By Susan Milius -
LifeFasting hormone helps mice live longer
A protein can trick the body into entering starvation mode.