Horizon
Dimwitted Neanderthals? Pioneering research challenges ‘outdated’ assumptions about our ancestors
For a long time, paleoanthropologists viewed Neanderthals as being very distinct from our own species, and inherently incapable of sharing ...
Replacing unrecyclable plastics: Sustainable ‘biopolymers’ are made from tree bark and compost
Trees, crops and even organic waste can be transformed into a bewildering array of plastics to use in products ranging ...
Air pollution dramatically harms childhood brain development
Between 1981 and 1989, 26 outbreaks of asthma were reported in [Barcelona] with many cases centred around the harbour. Local ...
Can meditation, hypnosis treat epilepsy and other brain disorders?
Understanding more about how consciousness works could help us find treatments when things go wrong. Dr Prisca Bauer from the ...
How CRISPR could produce tastier wine and beer
Whether it’s grape juice or liquid malt, yeast is essential in converting sugary liquids into alcohol, to produce the final ...
Could transplanting ‘young’ gut bacteria boost brain function in the elderly?
A study in mice has indicated that the make-up of bacteria in the gut is linked with learning abilities and ...
Was a gene mutation responsible for bigger human brains?
One of the major features that distinguish humans from other primates is the size of our brains, which underwent rapid ...
Secret to longer life? Specific genes in worms can increase lifespan by almost 400%
In a project called MacModel, researchers are using the flatworm Macrostomum lignano, which is normally found living in the tidal sands of ...
Plants vs pathogens: CRISPR-created crops fend off pests, add nutrition
Potato blight sparked the Irish famine in the 19th century, causing a million people to starve to death and another ...
If biofortified crops are goal, both genetic engineering and conventional breeding necessary
[Dr Swati Puranik, of the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences at Aberystwyth University in the UK] and her ...
Bacteria could transform trees into industrial chemical scrubbers
Hacking trees by adding bacteria to their roots could help scrub contaminated soil clean of chemicals and metals from industrial ...
