Biology
New research may explain the origin of complex life on Earth
Simply Complex<p>Life remains one of the greatest and most beautiful mysteries of the universe. For one, it continues to baffle scientists that we only …
Life SciencesWhen growing their penises for the season, ducks bend to social pressure
Nothing to quack about.<p>Only two known animals can adjust their penis size to meet environmental pressures: the sessile hermaphroditic acorn barnacle, and the duck.<p>Barnacles can stretch their long members through the crashing waves to engage in a salty tryst. And not to be outdone, male ducks can …
AnimalsWild Bison Killed After Wandering Across Border Into Germany
Last week, a rare wild bison was spotted wandering alone near the town of Lebus in eastern Germany. A local official, alarmed that the animal could be dangerous, ordered hunters to shoot it and one of them did, using a rifle to kill an animal that had not freely roamed Germany for several hundred …
World NewsGlowing slinky-like 'creature' is actually a mass of eggs
A massive, glowing, Slinky-like "creature" photographed by a scuba diver off the coast of Australia has spurred intense speculation about what the mystery beast could be.<p>Is it a sea monster of the deep? A giant sea squirt? An enormous, fire-bodied sea worm?<p>As it turns out, it's none of the above. …
ScienceThese Baby Spiders Demand The Flesh of Their Mothers When They Get Hungry
Family is a nightmare.<p>It's not easy raising kids. You bring them into this world, feed them, look after their every need, and what kind of thanks do …
ScienceHow the Internet of cells has biologists buzzing
Networks of nanotubes may allow cells to share everything from infections and cancer to dementia-linked proteins.<p>Yukiko Yamashita thought she knew …
Life SciencesBoosting cancer-killing cells through oxygen starvation
New research has suggested that an immunotherapy type that cultures patients' killer T cells in a laboratory before fine-tuning their …
CancerA Major Biotech Company Has Been Hit With A Gender Discrimination Lawsuit
J. Craig Venter, famed genomics pioneer and co-founder of the San Diego-based Synthetic Genomics, is just one individual named in a sweeping gender discrimination lawsuit against the biotech company.<p>Synthetic Genomics, a major biotech firm founded by human genome pioneer J. Craig Venter, has been …
Long-form JournalismScientists edit human embryos and find key gene for development
The first few days after a sperm fertilizes an egg are critical for a developing embryo — and not well understood. In a study published today in …
GeneticsAfter 20 Years, A Drug That Silences Genes Succeeds
After two decades, a laboratory breakthrough that upended scientists’ understanding of how genes work looks set to yield a treatment for a rare hereditary disease – and maybe a whole new type of drug.<p>Shares in Alnylam Pharmaceuticals rocketed up 40% to $105 in morning trading after the company …
MedicineScientists create world's first 'molecular robot' capable of building molecules
Scientists at The University of Manchester have created the world's first 'molecular robot' that is capable of performing basic tasks including …
Robots4 Reasons Why Liveaboard Diving Is More Popular Than Ever
In the last ten years the diving world has blossomed, in a way even its ambitious pioneer Jacques Cousteau might not have predicted. The underwater …
Scuba DivingHow One Woman Brought the 'Mother's Curse' to Canada
Old French Canadian genealogy records reveal how a harmful mutation can hide from natural selection in a mother's DNA.<p>The first King’s Daughters—or <i>filles du roi</i>—arrived in New France in 1663, and 800 more would follow over the next decade. Given their numbers, they were not literally the king’s …
Life SciencesRenowned primatologist Jane Goodall thinks Trump is like an aggressive chimp
Primatologist Jane Goodall has made her name studying chimpanzees for over half a century. So, if anyone can deduce a distinct correlation between a …
Jane GoodallNew study reveals microbial communities’ full impact on human health
A Healthy Body<p>A team of researchers have conducted a study on the human microbiome — the trillions of microbial organisms found on and within the …
MicrobiomeThis Radical New Method Regenerates Failing Lungs With Blood Vessels Intact
Save for the occasional burning pain that accompanies a run, most people don’t pay much attention to the two-leafed organ puffing away in our …
BreakthroughsOlder Parents May Both Pass Down More New Mutations
Men and women both transmit an increasing number of new mutations to their children as they age, according to a study published today in <i>Nature</i>1.<p>The …
DNANew nerve degeneration molecule identified
A discovery in a transparent roundworm has brought scientists one step closer to understanding why nerves degenerate.<p>University of Queensland …
Life SciencesIs Climate Change The Swan Song Of The Black-Capped Chickadee?
Support the news<p>commentary<p><i>Like what you read here? Sign up for our twice-weekly newsletter.</i><p>A report released days ago by Mass Audubon spells out grim …
Climate ChangeScientists may have discovered the ‘trigger’ for complex life on earth
“Oxygenation was waiting to happen.”<p>The early oceans and atmospheres of Earth had no free oxygen, although photosynthetic cyanobacteria produced it …
Life SciencesHistory vs. chance in the evolution of steroid signaling | Ars Technica
New research suggests “evolution turned out as it did for no good reason.”<p>Studying alternate realities has traditionally been the purview of …
DNASpace Lung Tissue Experiment Returns to Earth
Lung-tissue samples grown on the International Space Station, which have just arrived back on Earth, could help researchers understand how space …
Space StationResponsive monitoring of mitochondrial redox states in heart muscle predicts impending cardiac arrest | Science Translational Medicine
Mitochondria adapt to changing environmental conditions to try to meet the energy needs of a cell. Perry <i>et al</i>. used resonance Raman spectroscopy to …
MedicineGene-hacking tool unlocks secrets of butterfly colors
New studies have found that two genes play a major role in creating the patterns and colors of butterfly wings with the help of a gene-editing tool. …
World NewsBeyond Bobbleheads: One NFL Team Wants To Offer Fans Free Genetic Testing
Nothing goes together like professional football and genetic testing, amiright?<p>That’s what the Baltimore Ravens and Orig3n, a Boston direct-to-consumer genetic testing company, apparently thought when they came up with the idea for “DNA Day” at the team’s M&T Bank Stadium.<p>The plan was to provide …
DNAWorld CML Day
I've never been much of a fan of 'Awareness Days'. They all feel a little contrived and in recent years have been taken over by PR companies and agencies desperate to get people to buy products or sign up to events or activities they'd previously never given any real thought.<p>However there are some …
White Blood CellsNature.com
Planetary science<p>Radar reveals Vesta’s icy secret<p>Frozen water could lie beneath the surface of the giant asteroid.<p>Frozen water could lie beneath …
Life SciencesMigrating Bats Are Basically Flying Weather Stations
New research shows that migrating bats have an uncanny ability assess weather conditions such as wind speed, wind direction, and air pressure, …
[Research Articles] Cancer immunotherapy with recombinant poliovirus induces IFN-dominant activation of dendritic cells and tumor antigen-specific CTLs
Tumors thrive in an immunosuppressive microenvironment that impedes antitumor innate and adaptive immune responses. Thus, approaches that can …
CancerChina Rushes to Surpass U.S. in Decoding Citizens' Genes
CHENGDU, China—In this western Chinese city famed for panda conservation, scientists are advancing the world’s most ambitious effort to save a far-less-endangered species: humans.<p>Their goal is to collect and analyze vast amounts of genetic data from Chinese citizens to help unearth the causes of …
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