Transplanted youth
Female mice past their 鈥渕enopause鈥� became fertile, resumed sexual activity and lived 40 per cent longer when given ovarian transplants from young mice. It is too soon to know whether the handful of women who have had ovarian transplants will also live longer, says researcher Noriko Kagawa of the Kato Ladies鈥� Clinic in Tokyo, Japan.
Monster from the deep
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Inspired by Herman Melville鈥檚 Moby Dick, a newly discovered species of colossal whale with a killer bite has been named Leviathan melvillei. The whale, now extinct, would have been 18 metres long, with the biggest predatory teeth ever discovered, and probably fed on baleen whales (Nature, ).
Organic spuds u like
Potato plants farmed organically grew 35 per cent larger on average and endured 18 per cent fewer pest infestations than non-organic potatoes (Nature, ). Organic plots contain a more diverse range of pest-killing species, whereas some pests prosper in fields doused with conventional pesticides.
Luck of the genes
The bottom could be about to fall out of the four-leaf clover business. A genetic variation for the trait has been identified (Crop Science, ). That means breeders might soon be able to grow more of the 鈥渓ucky鈥� variety 鈥� its natural frequency is a mere 1 per 10,000 plants.
Energetic slumber
Surges of the energy molecule adenosine triphosphate have been identified in the brains of sleeping rats. This is the first direct evidence that the function of sleep may be to re-wire and replenish the brain ready for wakefulness (Journal of Neuroscience, ).