DNA data storage

DNA USB key? How we could store data for potentially thousands of years using the genetic code

Jocelyn Timperley | BBC | 
The information stored in DNA defines what it is to be human (or any other species for that matter). But ...
You don’t always retain the eye color you’re born with. Here’s a genetic explanation why

You don’t always retain the eye color you’re born with. Here’s a genetic explanation why

Martha Henriques | BBC | 
Evidence suggests that whether a baby's eye colour changes or not depends a lot on the colour itself. One study ...
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Can ginger, chili peppers or green tea keep you full for longer? Scientist fact-checks common diet claims

Jessica Bradley | BBC | 
It's likely that your weekly shop is packed with packaging promising that the food inside will taste great, stay fresh ...
Ancient toys found in archaeological digs are changing perspectives on children in early civilizations

Ancient toys found in archaeological digs are changing perspectives on children in early civilizations

Amanda Ruggeri | BBC | 
Over the two decades that archaeologist Gus Van Beek excavated Tell Jemmeh, an Assyrian settlement inhabited from around 3,800 to ...
Our microbiomes respond positively to exercise, giving us a digestive boost

Our microbiomes respond positively to exercise, giving us a digestive boost

Roberta Angheleanu | BBC | 
There is certainly no shortage of studies in humans that show doing moderate to vigorous exercise such as running, cycling and resistance ...
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Targeting 2024: The quest to create a universal COVID vaccine

David Cox | BBC | 
Jonathan Heeney and colleagues face a challenge that has long proved insurmountable for scientists: to develop vaccines that can not ...
GMO photosynthesis breakthrough: Genetically-tweaked food crops harness sunlight 20% more efficiently

GMO photosynthesis breakthrough: Genetically-tweaked food crops harness sunlight 20% more efficiently

Ella Hambly | BBC | 
Researchers developed a way to make photosynthesis - the natural process that all plants use to convert sunlight energy into ...
New evidence refutes 'lab-leak' theory of COVID-19 origins

New evidence refutes ‘lab-leak’ theory of COVID-19 origins

Victoria Gill | BBC | 
Scientists say there is "compelling evidence" that Wuhan's Huanan seafood and wildlife market was at the center of the Covid-19 ...
The mind-bending effects of speaking multiple languages

The mind-bending effects of speaking multiple languages

Nicole Chang | BBC | 
It turns out that when a multilingual person wants to speak, the languages they know can be active at the ...
Viewpoint: Are reports that organic farming led to Sri Lanka’s economic collapse overblown?

Viewpoint: Are reports that organic farming led to Sri Lanka’s economic collapse overblown?

Charmaine Cozier | BBC | 
Sri Lanka is now in the worst economic crisis they have seen in decades, schools are closed, fuel is in ...
Gum disease and tooth loss have been largely overlooked as risk factors for dementia

Gum disease and tooth loss have been largely overlooked as risk factors for dementia

Martha Henriques | BBC | 
A close link is emerging between oral health and some of the world's most pressing diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes ...
UK split: Here’s why England and Scotland are going in different directions in regulating agricultural gene editing

UK split: Here’s why England and Scotland are going in different directions in regulating agricultural gene editing

Glenn Campbell | BBC | 
The UK government has introduced a Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill which would set different rules from the EU following ...
Where did the Black Death begin? DNA in ancient teeth provide clues

Where did the Black Death begin? DNA in ancient teeth provide clues

Malu Cursino | BBC | 
Researchers believe they have discovered the origins of the Black Death, more than 600 years after it killed tens of ...
Swimming’s global oversight body bans trans women swimmers from elite events if they went through male puberty

Swimming’s global oversight body bans trans women swimmers from elite events if they went through male puberty

BBC | 
Fina, swimming's world governing body, has voted to stop transgender athletes from competing in women's elite races if they have ...
‘Unnatural selection’: How humans are altering the evolution of other animals

‘Unnatural selection’: How humans are altering the evolution of other animals

David Farrier | BBC | 
The bouncing orange specks could be popcorn dancing on a hot plate. But there's something odd about how they move ...
Humans sleep a lot more than other primates. Here’s an evolutionary explanation why

Humans sleep a lot more than other primates. Here’s an evolutionary explanation why

Elizabeth Preston | BBC | 
On dry nights, the San hunter-gatherers of Namibia often sleep under the stars. They have no electric lights or new ...
Human brains are a lot smaller than they were 3,000 years ago – and studying ant brains may explain why

Human brains are a lot smaller than they were 3,000 years ago – and studying ant brains may explain why

Chris Baraniuk | BBC | 
Your ancestors had bigger brains than you. Several thousand years ago, humans reached a milestone in their history – the ...
'A social construct with no biological reality': Breaking down hymen myths

‘A social construct with no biological reality’: Breaking down hymen myths

Sophia Smith Galer | BBC | 
The belief that the hymen provides physical "proof" of sexual history is the premise of virginity testing, a practice condemned ...
Most humans eat three meals a day. Is that what’s best for our health?

Most humans eat three meals a day. Is that what’s best for our health?

Jessica Bradley | BBC | 
Intermittent fasting, where you restrict your food intake to an eight-hour window, is becoming a huge area of research. Giving our ...
One year along, long COVID still plagues victims and confounds scientists

One year along, long COVID still plagues victims and confounds scientists

James Gallagher | BBC | 
The core experience of long Covid revolves around the unholy trinity of fatigue, brain fog and muscle pain. But there is ...
Even mild COVID can cause visible changes in the brain

Even mild COVID can cause visible changes in the brain

Rebecca Morelle | BBC | 
Catching Covid may cause changes to the brain, a study suggests. Scientists found significant differences in MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) ...
Study challenges health orthodoxy: Vegetable-rich diet alone does not reduce heart disease risk

Study challenges health orthodoxy: Vegetable-rich diet alone does not reduce heart disease risk

Philippa Roxby | BBC | 
Vegetables may be good for you, but eating a lot of them is unlikely to reduce your risk of a ...
‘Double sleeping’: Did the industrial revolution end humans' proclivity to sleep in two shifts?

‘Double sleeping’: Did the industrial revolution end humans’ proclivity to sleep in two shifts?

Zaria Gorvett | BBC | 
In the 17th Century, a night of sleep went something like this. From as early as 21:00 to 23:00, those ...
‘Mission to find the perfect tomato’: Gene editing brings us antioxidant-rich, high-yielding varieties

‘Mission to find the perfect tomato’: Gene editing brings us antioxidant-rich, high-yielding varieties

Marta Zaraska | BBC | 
The bushy tangle of elongated leaves and small red fruits were characteristic of a wild species of tomato plant native ...
Could eating cheese and other dairy products cause disturbing dreams?

Could eating cheese and other dairy products cause disturbing dreams?

Jessica Brown | BBC | 
Eating cheese late at night, the rumour goes, will give you strange dreams. As far back as 1964, a researcher ...
Israel has vaccinated more than half of children aged 12 to 15. What can we learn from this endeavor?

Israel has vaccinated more than half of children aged 12 to 15. What can we learn from this endeavor?

Josie Glausiusz | BBC | 
As more and more countries around the world are beginning to offer Covid-19 vaccines for children over 12, Israel offers ...
More than domestication: Simply sharing environments with humans has radically altered the behavior of many animal species

More than domestication: Simply sharing environments with humans has radically altered the behavior of many animal species

Jasmin Fox-Skelly | BBC | 
Humans have a long history of domesticating animals, a process that has spanned thousands of years. Charles Darwin was the ...
No more coffee or chocolate? Climate change could turn many everyday foods into rare luxuries

No more coffee or chocolate? Climate change could turn many everyday foods into rare luxuries

Isabelle Gerretsen | BBC | 
While historically certain foods such as coffee, chocolate and spices were luxury items, today these foods are supermarket staples in ...
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