Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Plants
Losing life’s variety
2010 is the deadline set for reversing declines in biodiversity, but little has been accomplished.
- Ecosystems
Sea of plastics
Oceanographers are finding more patches of floating polymers, some up to 20 meters deep.
- Life
Ultraviolet freckles start fish fights
Two damselfish species use short wavelengths to recognize rivals’ spots.
- Animals
Whale hunts: Discussions on lifting the ‘ban’
The International Whaling Commission will formally address its future, next week, at a meeting in St. Petersburg, Fla. Once comprised of whaling nations, the IWC now includes member states just as likely to condemn any hunting of cetaceans. That internal tension is guiding the meeting’s agenda. On it’s plate: whether to overturn the organization’s long-standing moratorium on commercial whaling.
- Life
Inflaming dangers of a fat-laden meal
In overweight people, immune cells embedded in fat are sensitive to high levels of fat in the blood, triggering inflammation that can lead to heart disease and diabetes.
- Ecosystems
Sperm whales may team up to herd prey
Data recorders yield first hints of coordinated feeding behavior.
- Life
Bacterial neighbors get mean
Strains of the same species growing just meters apart can do a lot of damage to each other — and to themselves.
- Health & Medicine
Possible prostate cancer culprit
Scientists identify a type of stem cell and a gene that play a role in the disease.
- Health & Medicine
Dolphins may offer clues to treating diabetes
Insulin-resistance switch helps maintain glucose levels in dolphin brains, suggesting possible clues to treating diabetes in people.
- Health & Medicine
Tumor tracking gets personal
A new method has the potential to use genome science to improve cancer care.
- Humans
Decoding diversity in Bushmen
Decoding the genetic makeup of tribal leaders and Archbishop Desmond Tutu uncovers rich genetic diversity in southern Africans.
- Life
Human noise may distract animals
When boats roar, hermit crabs slip up and let predators get extra close
