Life

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Life

    Risky nests

    Invasive species misleads birds picking a home.

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  2. Health & Medicine

    Perchlorate: A Saga Continues

    Perchlorate is not yet a household word in many parts of the country. But it may becomes one if Sen. Barbara Boxer has her way. Perchlorate – an ingredient in solid rocket fuel, fireworks, flares and explosives – taints drinking-water supplies around the nation, not to mention plenty of foods. In animal tests, the pollutant […]

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  3. Ecosystems

    Bring in the replacements

    Missing links in ecosystems disrupted by extinctions could be restored by introducing species that perform the same function, new field experiments suggest.

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  4. Life

    Brittle arms lose muscle

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

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  5. 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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  6. 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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  7. 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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  8. Life

    Coral keeps it in the family

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

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  9. Chemistry

    Squid beak balances hard and soft

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

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  10. Animals

    Twee Twee Tweetle

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

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  11. Animals

    Sexy side of UV-B

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

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  12. 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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