Andrew Masterson
New study claims first farmers in Europe were direct descendants of region’s hunter-gatherers, challenging belief migrants introduced agriculture
For several years it has been broadly acknowledged that agriculture in Europe was first established in the Anatolian peninsula in modern day ...
Genetic analysis reveals mysterious evolution of brewer’s yeast that makes beer possible
The strain of brewers’ yeast used to make beer, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, derives from versions used over thousands of years to ...
233 scientists call on world’s governments to ‘greatly restrict’ use of neonicotinoid insecticides to protect biodiversity
Continued applications of the most widely used insecticides in the world must be urgently restricted, say 233 scientists in a tightly ...
If Neanderthals mated with early modern humans, why does their genome show no evidence of human DNA?
Gene flow between Neanderthals and early modern humans may have been a one-way street, researchers have found. While the presence ...
Lead authors of controversial homeopathic cancer paper arrested, work retracted
A journal paper claiming to show the success of a homeopathic treatment for cancer has been withdrawn by the publishers ...
‘Cancer vaccine’ shows promise in mice; human trial next
A combination of a tiny segment of DNA and a specific antibody injected into a solid tumour has been shown ...
Cultivation without domestication: Unlike modern farmers, ancient civilizations grew crops that ‘spread like weeds’
Plant domestication, the theory runs, comprises a long history during which humans select traits advantageous to farming practice. Qualities such as seed ...
Critics push back against Australian government recommendation to loosen constraints on CRISPR gene editing research
Australia’s gene technology regulator has proposed a bold shake-up of rules surrounding genetic engineering processes, potentially loosening constraints on research ...
Matrix phobia? Scientists put fears to rest—we are not living in computer simulation
Just in case it’s been weighing on your mind, you can relax now. A team of theoretical physicists from Oxford ...
Modified polio virus could be used as cancer treatment
A protein common on some types of cancer cell turns out to be the same one that in other circumstances ...
Antarctic glaciers may be hiding undiscovered life
Is there an undiscovered colony of plants, algae and small animals living in caves beneath glaciers in the Antarctic? That’s ...
Genetic reason why tomatoes come in such a variety of sizes
The gradual increase in size of tomatoes is in part the result of breeders, ancient and modern, continually selecting and ...
CDC: Treatments for imaginary ‘Chronic Lyme Disease’ have claimed lives
The peak public health body in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has issued a ...
Did evolution unfold steadily, or in fits and starts?
In 1972, the eminent palaeontologist Stephen Jay Gould and his colleague Niles Eldredge...sought to explain so-called gaps in the palaeontological ...
Can plant seeds ‘decide’ when to germinate?
Botanical orthodoxy holds that plant germination is a purely mechanistic process, driven entirely by external stimuli. The plant seed itself ...