Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Animals
Here are 7 incredible things we learned this year that animals can do
From wielding weapons to walking on the underside of water, these are the creature capabilities that most impressed us in 2021.
- Animals
50 years ago, scientists were genetically modifying mosquitoes
In 1971, scientists turned to genetics to control disease-spreading mosquitoes without DDT. Today, there are a variety of pesticide-free methods.
- Life
A terrifying robot can thwart invasive mosquito fish
A robot designed to mimic a natural predator of mosquito fish can impair the survival and reproduction of this costly invasive species.
- Microbes
A bacteria-virus arms race could lead to a new way to treat shigellosis
As bacteria that cause shigellosis evolve to escape a virus, the microbes may become less deadly, a hopeful sign for “phage therapy.”
- Animals
Cicada science heats up when Brood X emerges. 2021 was no exception
Mating mobs of big, hapless, 17-year-old cicadas made for a memorable spring in the Eastern United States
- Anthropology
2021 research reinforced that mating across groups drove human evolution
Fossils and DNA point to mixing and mingling among Homo groups across vast areas.
- Life
Cleared tropical forests can regain ground surprisingly fast
Tropical forests can re-establish themselves on abandoned agricultural lands faster than expected, scientists say.
- Animals
Gut bacteria let vulture bees eat rotting flesh without getting sick
Acid-producing bacteria in the gut of vulture bees let these “weirdos of the bee world” safely snack on animal carcasses.
- Life
Light-colored feathers may help migrating birds stay cool on long flights
Analysis of over 20,000 illustrations of birds reveals that migrating birds generally tend to have lighter-colored feathers than birds that stay put.
- Plants
Invasive grasses are taking over the American West’s sea of sagebrush
Cheatgrass and other invasive plants are expanding rapidly in the western United States, putting more places at risk for wildfires.
- Paleontology
This dinosaur had a weapon shaped like an Aztec war club on its tail
The flat and spiky tail club of a newly discovered ankylosaur was unique, even for this often weirdly armored group of dinosaurs.
- Chemistry
Here’s the chemistry behind marijuana’s skunky scent
Newly ID’d sulfur compounds in cannabis flowers give the plant its telltale odor. One, prenylthiol, is what also gives “skunked beer” its funky flavor.
