Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Climate
Methane releases in arctic seas could wreak devastation
Warming climate could lead to dead zones, acidification and shifts at the base of the ocean’s food chain.
- Life
Saber-toothed cats strong-armed prey
Smilodon fatalis used strong forelimbs to pin victims, an analysis of fossils shows.
- Life
Evolutionary adaptation breeds gender-identification confusion
The rise of camouflage among some lizards in White Sands National Monument has generated a communication breakdown.
- Health & Medicine
For most centenarians, longevity is written in the DNA
A study of people who live past 100 reveals many genetic paths to a long life.
- Health & Medicine
Stem cells from blood a ‘huge’ milestone
New technique promises to be easier, cheaper and faster than other harvesting methods.
- Life
Having BFFs brings longevity to female baboons
A seven-year study of one African troop finds that females live longer if they form close, lasting friendships.
- Earth
Moby Dick meets Jaws
A recently discovered fossil demonstrates that giant whales weren’t always as gentle as they are today.
- Earth
Ivy nanoparticles promise sunblocks and other green products
I’ve developed a love-hate relationship with English ivy that’s been devolving towards hate-hate. But a new paper may temper my antipathy. Apparently this backyard bully also offers a kinder, gentler alternative to the potentially toxic metal-based nanoparticles used in today’s sunscreens.
- Ecosystems
Bats, wolves feel the heat
News from the annual meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists in Laramie, Wyo., June 11-15
- Life
Resveratrol shows activity against insulin resistance and retinal disease
A widely touted anti-aging compound shows activity in people and may work in new ways to fight eye disease.
- Life
Fishy odor just like dad’s
Imprinting on their fathers’ scent helps keep two fish species separate.
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