Mind & Brain
Depressed Mice Have Excitable Neurons
A new study pinpoints the cells involved in coping with stress, which can result in the development of mood disorders
Stories by Nature magazine
Environment
Toxic Toads Threaten "Ecological Disaster"
Researchers plead for action against an invasive amphibian that is already poisoning native species in Madagascar
Evolution
Comb Jelly Genome Grows More Mysterious
The publication of the draft genetic sequence of a comb jelly reveals a nervous system like no other
Environment
San Francisco Is Due for a Seismic Shake-Up
A study of earthquake cycles suggests a coming period of greater seismic activity in the Bay Area in the coming decades
Space & Physics
Pluto-Bound Spacecraft Faces Crisis
A scramble is on to find an object in the outer solar system's Kuiper Belt in time for a close-up visit
The Sciences
Lightning linked to solar wind
A correlation suggests an answer to the longstanding question of what triggers bolts
The Sciences
US ionospheric research facility to close
Unless a new patron emerges, the U.S. Government's High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program is threatened with closure next month
Health
New Stem Cell Finding Bodes Well for Future Medical Use in Humans
Concerns that stem cells could cause cancer in recipients are fading further with a new study
The Sciences
Silkworm Sex Factor Is No Ordinary Gene
The Lepidopteran is the first one found to have sex determined by RNA rather than by a protein
Evolution
Discovery of Mexican Skeleton Connects Siberian Ancestors to Native Americans
DNA from the skeleton shows similarities to modern Native Americans, while its skull structure matches those of Paleoamericans that came across the Bering land bridge
Health
Life Span Boosted in Worms via Dietary Supplement Compound
It's premature to call the compound, alpha-ketoglutarate, an antiaging drug, but it has been found to extend the longevity of C. elegans by 50 percent
Environment
Atlantic Current Strength Declines
More data are needed to determine whether the slowing is a result of human-induced climate change
Health
Drugs to Be Derived from Insights into Body-Dwelling Bacteria
Large pharmaceutical companies are eyeing the therapeutic potential that can result from microbiome research, beyond the use of fecal transplants
Evolution
Giant Sperm Found in Crustacean Fossils
The "gargantuan gametes" are the oldest on record and have visible nuclei
Space & Physics
NASA Plans Mars Sample-Return Rover
Planetary geologists are set to narrow down a list of landing sites for a mission set for 2020
Environment
Bacteria Left a Methane Mess after Gulf Oil Spill
A study contradicts the notion that microbes consumed most of the gas after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill
Mind & Brain
New Brain Cells Erase Old Memories
Neurogenesis interferes with past learning in infant and adult mice
Evolution
Polar Bears Diverged from Brown Bears Fairly Recently
An evolutionary analysis shows that the two species diverged within the past 500,000 years
The Sciences
It's Time to Eat Insects
Entomologist Arnold van Huis wants to bring the world around to entomophagy
Evolution
Long-Snouted Tyrannosaur Unearthed
"Pinocchio rex" roamed southern China just before the extinction of the dinosaurs
