Life

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Animals

    Cool water could protect sea stars from a mysterious disease

    Sunflower sea stars discovered taking refuge in fjords may offer clues to saving the critically endangered species from sea star wasting disease.

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  2. Animals

    The axolotl is endangered in the wild. A discovery offers hope

    Introducing captive-bred axolotls to restored and artificial wetlands may be a promising option for the popular pet amphibian.

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  3. Archaeology

    A Pueblo tribe recruited scientists to reclaim its ancient American history

    DNA supports modern Picuris Pueblo accounts of ancestry going back more than 1,000 years to Chaco Canyon society.

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  4. Paleontology

    These crocodile-like beasts reached the Caribbean, outlasting mainland kin

    Knife-toothed reptiles called sebecids went extinct on the mainland 10 million years ago. New fossil evidence puts them on an island 4 million years ago.

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  5. Oceans

    How will the LA fires affect the ocean? These researchers are racing to find out

    Scientists aboard a research vessel near Los Angeles collected ash, air and water samples as fire blazed on the hills before them in January.

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  6. Health & Medicine

    Bird flu in cows shows no signs of adapting to humans — yet

    Easy replication in cattle mammary glands means H5N1 bird flu is under no evolutionary pressure to adapt to spread easily in humans.

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  7. Paleontology

    Ancient, water-loving rhinos gathered in big, hippolike herds

    Squat rhinos lived in North America about 12 million years ago, congregating in huge, water-bound herds much like modern hippos.

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  8. Animals

    This caterpillar wears the body parts of insect prey

    Dubbed the “bone collector,” this caterpillar found on a Hawaiian island disguises itself while stalking spider webs for trapped insects to eat.

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  9. Neuroscience

    Mouse brains hint at why it’s so hard to forget food poisoning

    Scientists mapped a neural circuit that associates an unfamiliar flavor with food poisoning symptoms in mice.

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  10. Animals

    How science can help you train your puppy

    Puppies with a good grasp of basic gestures, self-confidence and impulse control grow into well-behaved adults, a new study suggests.

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  11. Neuroscience

    Early Parkinson’s trials revive stem cells as a possible treatment

    The phase I clinical trials showed stem cell transplants for Parkinson’s disease appear to be safe and might restore dopamine-producing brain cells.

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  12. Paleontology

    Could Spinosaurus swim? The fierce dinosaur ignites debate

    Researchers are still divided about whether Spinosaurus was a swimmer or a wader. What’s clear is that confirming the first swimming dinosaur would be a game-changer.

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