Life
- Animals
Look ma — no stomach
Many animals can digest their meals without an acid-producing stomach. And research now shows they jettisoned those stomachs a long, long time ago.
- Life
Caught in the act
Scientists observe some evolutionary speed demons as they adapt over the course of just a few years to new environmental conditions.
- Fossils
Early tyrannosaurs would have feared this predator
A newfound dinosaur fossil appears to explain why ancestors of T. rex didn’t begin their growth in size — and dominance — any earlier than they did.
- Brain
Inheriting fear
Scared of something and don’t know why? Maybe your parents or grandparents passed along their fear to you, a new mouse study suggests.
- Animals
Mimicking mussels’ muscle
People who seek to get a grip on something — especially in wet environments — might want to take a lesson from some common shellfish. Among those who might benefit most: surgeons.
- Health & Medicine
New problem linked to ‘jet lag’
The body’s internal clock can be thrown off when people alter their day and night routines. That mix-up may lead to a buildup of immune cells that can cause inflammation, according to a new study on mice.
- Animals
Koalas’ very deep voice
Serenading males can sing some surprisingly low notes, and scientists have just uncovered how they do it.
- Plants
Gold can grow on trees
Australian researchers found leafy nano-evidence pointing to rich deposits of the precious metal deep below ground.
- Health & Medicine
HIV: Reversing a death sentence
New research suggests the infection, while serious, can be treated — and maybe cured.
- Brain
Seeing without light
Many people report seeing their own hands moving in the dark, a new study finds. In these people, brain areas responsible for motion appear to fool vision centers into seeing what they would have — if there had been enough light to do so.
- Brain
Fear prompts teens to act impulsively
A new study finds that teens may act impulsively in the face of fear. This might help explain high rates of violence among such adolescents, the authors say.
- Animals
Ants on guard
Tiny insects can take on big critters — from fly larvae to giraffes — in defense of their home, sweet home. And that home pays them back for this help.
