Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Animals
Vocal abilities lost, found and drowned out
Reports from the meeting of the American Ornithologists' Union
- Earth
Rapid evolution may be reshaping forest birds’ wings
Logging during the last century might have driven birds in mature boreal forests toward pointier wings while reforestation in New England led to rounder wings.
- Life
A gene for a short night’s sleep
Alterations in a gene called DEC2 lead to a shortened sleep period in people, mice and fruit flies.
- Animals
SOS: Call the ants
Emergency ant workers bite at snares, dig and tug to free trapped sisters
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- Agriculture
Pesticide potency can depend on bug’s clock
The daily rhythms in gene activity can affect the toxicity of some poisons.
- Animals
Tool use to crow about
A pair of new studies indicates that crows can employ tools in advanced ways, including using stones to displace water in a container and manipulating three sticks in sequence to reach food.
- Life
Death-grip fungus made me do it
Infection may be driving ants to set their jaws in low-hanging leaves before they die.
- Life
DEET’s nastiness extends to humans
Study finds the bug-repellent ingredient stopped an enzyme from doing its job.
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- Health & Medicine
Adult mouse gut makes new neurons
Scientists find newborn nerve cells in the intestines of adult mice, suggesting a new line of research for treating intestinal disorders.
