Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Life
Genetics redraws marsupial family tree
A new analysis traces the group’s origin to South America.
- Health & Medicine
‘Housekeeping’ proteins may set aging limit
Aging cells may seal their fate by keeping worn-out proteins when they sprout offspring.
- Math
Swarming locusts impossible to predict
A mathematical analysis shows that random factors underlie the insects’ movements across the landscape.
- Plants
Explosions, mushroom clouds — all good for short moss
BLOG: Sphagnum reproduces with a bang that compensates for life so close to the ground.
- Ecosystems
Frogs leapt before they landed
Jumping preceded mastery of the touchdown in amphibian evolution, a new study suggests.
- Paleontology
Oldest dog debated
A fossil jaw may, or may not, come from the oldest known example of man’s best friend.
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- Animals
Fearless tadpoles give invaders the edge
Clueless larvae don’t heed the scent of nonnative turtles, giving newcomers an edge over native species, a European study finds.
- Life
Stuck in the past
Reprogrammed stem cells retain molecular memories of their former identities, two new studies show.
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- Life
Animal sperm arose once
A gene governing production of male reproductive cells goes back to a common ancestor that lived about 600 million years ago, a study finds.
- Chemistry
Smelling the menu
Mouse breath triggers special cells in the nose that help send a safe-to-eat message.
