Life

  1. Life

    Brittle arms lose muscle

    In lab simulations of future ocean conditions, brittle stars grow extra-calcified but puny arms.

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  2. Life

    Not so different after all

    Plague bacteria may be deadlier than its harmless cousin because of a few small genetic changes.

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  3. Life

    The Arctic isn’t alone

    Insects and other animals that regulate their body temperature externally may be especially vulnerable as the world warms.

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  4. Life

    DNA tweak no good for diabetics

    A genetic variation that increases levels of a blood-building protein also ups the risk of developing complications from diabetes.

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  5. Life

    Coral keeps it in the family

    The nutrients released during mass coral spawning feed the whole ecosystem.

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  6. Chemistry

    Squid beak balances hard and soft

    Yet, the squishy creature’s bite packs a lot of punch.

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  7. Animals

    Twee Twee Tweetle

    Bird brains have a separate pathway for the babbling nonsense of baby talk.

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  8. Animals

    Sexy side of UV-B

    The first evidence of ultraviolet-B courtship in animals comes from jumping spiders.

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  9. Life

    Bring out your dead cells

    A protein called Six-Microns-Under turns certain fruit fly brain cells into undertakers to clear away dead neighbors.

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  10. Life

    Leaf clippings as protein factories

    Using plants to mass produce proteins for vaccines and other purposes may soon be possible without genetically engineering whole plants.

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  11. Life

    Bat that roared

    Although the human ear can't detect it, bats make astonishingly loud noises while hunting.

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  12. Humans

    Bear deadline

    Court calls for the already overdue decision on listing polar bears as a threatened species.

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