Cosmos
Life could have originated from ancient uranium-powered ‘nuclear geyser’
Life may not have originated in the primordial soup of an ancient pond, according to scientists, but rather in a ...
Synthetic biology and viewing life not as ‘a mystery but as a machine’
Imagine a future where synthetic jellyfish roam waterways looking for toxins to destroy, where eco-friendly plastics and fuels are harvested from ...
Without solar superstorms, Earth could have been an uninhabitable gaseous ‘mini-Neptune’
Gigantic solar storms may have helped strip unwanted gases from the Earth’s atmosphere, while helping to seed its surface with ...
What fossilized teeth tell us about human evolution
Examining the fossil record through the lens of evolutionary developmental biology may help scientists reassess the evolutionary history of humans ...
Neonicotinoids, glyphosate may impact honeybees’ ability to taste and learn, ‘field realistic’ lab study claims
Hive-bound young honey bees (Apis mellifera) are being poisoned by insecticide and weed killer gathered by their foraging hive mates, ...
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A journal paper claiming to show the success of a homeopathic treatment for cancer has been withdrawn by the publishers ...
Future of food: Huge algae farms could feed humans, animals more sustainably
Scientists hoping to meet the Paris climate accord goal of limiting global temperature rise to less than two degrees Celsius ...
Digging in the dirt may yield new class of antibiotics
It might come as a surprise to learn that dirt, that canonical cause of infection, is also a megafactory for ...
‘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 ...
Ancient Eurasian DNA helps untangle humanity’s twisted family tree
Advances in ancient DNA sequencing are shedding light on the genetic links between our Stone Age ancestors and modern humans, ...
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 ...
‘Supersimilarity’: Identical twins are epigenetic twins as well
The sometimes-preternatural similarity of identical twins is more profound than previously thought. Identical twins, known to science as “monozygotic”, may ...
How ‘minor insults to the brain’ could fuel Alzheimer’s
When it comes to the perpetrator of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the finger of blame has long pointed to hard deposits ...
Possible genetic links to homosexuality like ‘finding needle in a haystack’
Scientists in the US looked at the whole genomes of around 1000 homosexual men and 1200 heterosexual men, finding several ...
Number of genetically engineered crops could balloon thanks to new technique using pollen DNA
[T]he war over GM crops, though intense, has so far been restricted to a small number of battlefields – corn, ...
So much data to store: Can DNA solve our problem?
Many pundits predict it’s just a matter of time till DNA pips magnetic tape as the ultimate way to store ...
Challenging the RNA origin of life theory
The current consensus holds that life emerged from an ‘RNA-world’, first named by Nobel Laureate Walter Gilbert in 1986. This ...
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 ...
Why viruses, like Ebola and deadly flus, are not ‘living’
Viruses are responsible for some of the most dangerous and deadly diseases including influenza, ebola, rabies and smallpox. Despite their ...
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 ...
Ditch energy drinks? High doses of vitamin B supplements could raise cancer risks
A report published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology shows that male smokers who took high dose vitamin B6 and B12 supplements – ...
Aging breakthrough? Pruning old cells rejuvenates bone density in mice – could osteoporosis drugs be next?
Several studies have shown that pruning away old, inactive senescent cells can do wonders for aged mice, restoring their bald patches, strengthening ...
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 ...
Autism severity and brain size linked to genetic ‘glitch’ that disrupts sociability circuits
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) all have problems socialising, but beyond that their disorders can be vastly different. That ...
Mirroring reality: Neuron activity reflects how and what we see
Scientists are a step closer to unraveling the mystery of sight now that they have revealed part of the process ...
