Phie Jacobs

2 months ago | science.org | Phie Jacobs |Meredith Wadman

On 21 January, Chris Beyrer, an infectious disease epidemiologist at Duke University, was on a weekly call with about 20 fellow scientists who are running an HIV prevention trial funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Jan 16, 2025 | science.org | Phie Jacobs

For more than 30 years, scientists have known the genetic culprit behind Huntington disease, a devastating neurodegenerative disorder that causes cells deep in the brain to sicken and die. But they couldn’t account for why people who inherit the faulty gene variant take so long to develop symptoms, or why disease progression varies so widely from person to person.

Jan 15, 2025 | science.org | Phie Jacobs

Today’s Deep Dive does the math on carbon-storing building materials. But first, catch up on the latest science news, including research that gives new meaning to the term “copycat” and how fossilized poop is revealing the ghosts of extinctions past. animals  |  News from ScienceKitty see, kitty doTalk about a copycat. Kitties tend to mirror the faces of their companions, according to a new study,which may be key to helping them get along.

Jan 14, 2025 | science.org | Phie Jacobs

For millions of years, flightless birds known as moas roamed the forests and shrublands of New Zealand, feasting on mosses, ferns, and fruit. They also snacked on colorful native fungi, according to a study of ancient feces reported today in Biology Letters. Unfortunately, when humans hunted the moa to extinction about 600 years ago, these fungal species—which play a key role in maintaining forest health—may have been left without their main spore disperser.

Oct 30, 2024 | science.org | Phie Jacobs

Today’s Protostar is Joep Beumer, whose research is revealing the inner workings of enteroendocrine cells—the “first responders” of the gut. But first, catch up on the latest science news, including a bizarre creature preserved in fool’s gold and a feathery innovation that could make airplanes safer. paleontology  |  current biologyGlittery fossil is paleontological goldFossilization in pyrite preserved Lomankus edgecombei’s delicate tissues, including sensory structures on its head.