The tartar on Neanderthal teeth has a tale to tell. The chemicals and food fragments it contains reveal that our close relations huddled around fires to cook and consume plants – including some with medicinal properties. The find is the earliest direct evidence of self-medication in prehistory. Image: CSIC Comunicación
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At first glance, blowing a bubble net to trap sardines is not the smartest move a dolphin can make. Bubbles reflect sonar signals better than sardines do, rendering the fish invisible and giving them a chance to escape. But mathematical tricks can get around this, and dolphins may naturally use them to locate the fishy signal amid the bubbles. Image: NOAA’s National Ocean Service
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There’s more to inbreeding than dubious genes – how they are “read” matters, too. If a key influence on gene expression is blocked, inbred plants show few signs of their incestuous heritage. The finding may one day help small populations of endangered species breed healthily. Image: Just chaos
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Lego, eat your heart out. Blocks of DNA have been programmed to automatically build themselves into nanoscopic structures. Eventually the DNA programmes will be sophisticated enough to churn out minuscule therapeutic devices that work inside the body. Image: Harvard University/Nature
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Look and learn, sloths: the microbes deep beneath the Pacific ocean take inactivity to new heights. They are so slow on the uptake of nutrients from their environment that they barely classify as alive. Their very existence could help define the limit between life and death. Paradoxically, though, they may also be among the oldest living organisms on Earth. Image: Hans Røy/Science/AAAS
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