Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Life
2009 Science News of the Year: Life
Breeding records for sheep on Hirta offer an unusual opportunity to study inheritance. Image Credit: Arpat Ozgul Gentler winters shrink sheepWarming has trumped the benefits of fat to shrink sheep on the remote North Atlantic island of Hirta, a new analytical approach has revealed (SN: 8/1/09, p. 12). Weights for wild female Soay sheep dropped […]
- Life
Do-it-yourself bed-bug detector
With bed-bug numbers on the rise in North America, researchers test homemade bug finders.
- Health & Medicine
When body meets H1N1 flu
Two studies map interactions between virus and human cells; one study reveals natural flu fighters.
- Earth
For coots, hatching order is crucial ID
When birds sneak eggs into others' nest, mom and dad can learn to find their own.
- Health & Medicine
Mom and Dad not equally to blame for some bad genes
Common genetic variants may have different effects on disease depending which parent passes along the trait.
- Life
Virus makes plants lie to insects
Infected squash plants smell delicious but taste terrible – perfect combination for tricking aphids into spreading disease
- Health & Medicine
New material could support stem cell development
A ’smart’ gel could help coax stem cells to develop into heart cells.
-
- Life
Dinosaurs broiled, not grilled
Debris from K-T impact could have been heat source and heat shield.
- Paleontology
New fossil helps solidify dino origins
The dog-sized creature bolsters the notion that early dinosaurs first appeared in what is now South America.
- Life
Fruit flies can be alcoholics too
Drinking behavior of Drosophila shows similarities to human addiction.
- Life
When feminine beauty thrives on competition
Gorgeous plumage for both starling sexes comes from rivalry in co-op nests
