biology
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Horrific Observations Confirm That Orcas Feed on Blue Whales
As apex predators, orcas can basically feed on whichever marine animal they want, but biologists weren’t entirely sure if these aquatic killers feast on the biggest of them all: blue whales. New evidence suggests they very much do, and it ain’t pretty.
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How Life in the ‘Deep Biosphere’ Thrives Despite Temperatures That Would Fry Humans
A science expedition in 2016 revealed a subsurface habitat in which microbes were found living at temperatures approaching 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Now, a follow-up study reveals how this remarkable microbial community manages to beat the heat.
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Exercise Can Boost Brain Health Even in People Who Already Have Signs of Dementia
New research adds to evidence that exercise can improve cognition, especially later in life. The study found that older people who regularly exercised had greater levels of proteins crucial to their brain’s health, compared to those who didn’t exercise. These differences were apparent even in people whose brains otherwise showed possible signs of dementia, suggesting…
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First Omicron Death in U.S. Reported in Texas
U.S. health officials have reported the country’s first death attributed to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus — a man in his 50s from Texas. The man was unvaccinated but had previously survived a covid-19 infection; he also had underlying health conditions.