Life
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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Life
Climate change shrinks sheep
Milder winters help small, weak lambs survive but more competition for food slows growth.
By Susan Milius - Life
New drug hits leukemia early
An experimental drug may stop a deadly leukemia in its early stages, a study of mice shows.
By Nathan Seppa - Health & Medicine
Schizophrenia risk gets more complex
Three studies find that large collections of variants, rather than just a few key mutations, probably predispose someone to schizophrenia.
- Life
Salamanders don’t regrow limbs from scratch
A closer look at regeneration in axolotl amputees shows that tissue replacement relies on cellular “memory.”
- Paleontology
Flexible molars made chewing champions out of duck-billed dinosaurs
Tiny scratches in the fossilized teeth of Edmontosaurus suggest what these large herbivores ate and how they ate it.
- Life
H1N1 racks up frequent flier miles
Analyzing global flight paths may help researchers track pandemics, as a new study on H1N1 shows.
- Life
Protein protects sperm in mice
A protein called GPX5 helps protect sperm from oxidative damage. The finding could help prevent birth defects.
- Animals
Bat face shapes sound
An oversized appendage in Bourret’s horseshoe bats may aid in long-distance signals.
- Life
Beetle philandering doesn’t work out for the ladies
A common idea about the benefits of multiple matings for females turns out to be wrong for seed beetles.
By Susan Milius - Life
Long-lasting daddy longlegs
Fossils of two new daddy longlegs species have been unearthed in China.
By Sid Perkins - Health & Medicine
Downside of red-hot chili peppers
In the wild, a culinary kick comes with risks to the plant.
By Susan Milius -