Life

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Genetics

    Plague may have caused die-offs of ancient Siberians

    DNA suggests that the deadly bacterium that causes the plague reached northeast Asia by 4,400 years ago.

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  2. Animals

    These spiders may sew leaves into fake shelters to lure frogs to their doom

    Madagascar’s huntsman spiders use silk to turn two leaves into a cool hollow. Such microhabitats may appeal to the spiders’ prey, a study suggests.

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  3. Science & Society

    These science claims from 2020 could be big news if confirmed

    Scientific findings reported this year that still need more proof include potential signs of life on Venus and Earth’s oldest parasites.

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  4. Animals

    Rumors of a ‘murder hornet’ apocalypse may have been exaggerated

    Murder hornets sightings in the Pacific northwest inspired a mix of concern and delight.

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  5. Animals

    Clearing land to feed a growing human population will threaten thousands of species

    Changing where, how and what food is grown could largely avoid biodiversity losses, scientists say.

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  6. Animals

    Bonobos, much like humans, show commitment to completing a joint task

    Experiments with bonobos suggest that humans aren’t the only ones who can feel a sense of mutual responsibility toward other members of their species.

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  7. Animals

    A mink in Utah is the first known case of the coronavirus in a wild animal

    A U.S. mink is so far the only known free-ranging animal to have contracted the coronavirus and likely got infected from a nearby mink farm.

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  8. Animals

    These Arctic squirrels recycle bits of their own bodies to survive winter

    Arctic squirrels not only slow their metabolism while hibernating, but also harvest crucial substances from their muscles.

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  9. Animals

    Small, quiet crickets turn leaves into megaphones to blare their mating call

    A carefully crafted leaf can double the volume of a male tree cricket’s song, helping it compete with larger, louder males for females.

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  10. Animals

    Plastic waste forms huge, deadly masses in camel guts

    Eating plastic isn’t just a sea animal problem. Researchers found suitcase-sized masses of plastic in dromedaries’ guts in the United Arab Emirates.

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  11. Life

    A newfound feathered dinosaur sported fuzz and weird rods on its shoulders

    A Brazilian dinosaur with stiffened pairs of ribbonlike feathers emerging from the shoulders is unlike any found before.

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  12. Animals

    Using comb-shaped teeth, Baikal seals feed on tiny crustaceans like whales do

    Seals in Lake Baikal use comb-shaped teeth to catch scores of amphipods, a study finds. The diet may be behind the seals’ relative success.

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