Scientists find ancient Tibetan altitude gene

Tibetans can thank an extinct human relative for providing a gene that helps them adapt to the high altitude, according to a study.

BGI/AP

Tibetans living on the ‘‘roof of the world’’ can thank an extinct human relative for providing a gene that helps them adapt to the high altitude, a study suggests.

Altered Habitats

Plastic bag ban stalled in state legislature

A move to make Massachusetts the first state to ban plastic shopping bags caused a flurry of excitement in some circles last year. Since then … silence.

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Nahant marine center researcher discovers that mud crabs can hear

Mud crabs can hear, and Northeastern University researcher A. Randall Hughes has proved it.Her findings, published in a scientific journal last month, may seem a bit ho-hum — how many of us give the tiny invertebrates a second thought? — but they are a revelation to those who study coral reefs.Hughes admitted that neither she nor other academic researchers had given much consideration to the crabs’ hearing ability, but a question from a layman sparked her curiosity. Now, the findings of Hughes and her research team (which includes her husband, fellow Northeastern professor David Kimbro, and marine acoustics specialist David Mann) have provided insight into the ecological community found on the reefs.