Scientists are tinkering wiht plant microbiomes to feed the world and save endangered species.
Science News, September, 2018
Scientists resurrect proteins from the past to answer today’s evolutionary questions and inspire tomorrow’s bioengineered molecules.
The Scientist, July/August, 2018
Identification of new archaeal species elucidates the domain’s unique biology and its relationship to eukaryotes.
The Scientist, June, 2018
Uncovering Ancient Clues to Humanity’s First Fires
How and when our ancestors mastered the use of fire remains a hotly debated question. Researchers are hunting for answers buried in ancient ash and baked soils.
SAPIENS, June 14, 2017
Venomous swimmers have evolved many ways to sting. (paywall)
Science News, April 29, 2017
The Tasmanian devil is endangered by a bizarre transmissible cancer, but scientists and the devils themselves are fighting back.
BioTechniques, April 12, 2017
The small lizards adapted to unique niches among dozens of isles.
The Scientist, January 1, 2017
The first medical interventions were often individualized but ineffective. As medicine became more scientific, physicians started grouping patients by disease. Now, genetic insights let doctors consider their patients unique genetic make-up.
Nature, September 8, 2016
Prehistoric Animals, in Living Color
Paleontologists are looking beyond bones to reveal the hues of prehistoric animals that vanished millions of years ago. But the young field has its share of disagreements.
PNAS Front Matter, August 2, 2016
Research into aging requires patience, but a small cadre of scientists is angling to speed up answers by developing the flamboyant, short-lived turquoise killifish as a new model.
Nature, July 21, 2016
Will Hagfish Yield the Fibers of the Future?
A tankful of wriggling proto-fish could one day offer a novel kind of strong, flexible material for buttressing bulletproof vests and reinforcing lightweight automobile parts.
PNAS Front Matter, June 28, 2016
Smart Drugs: A Dose of Intelligence
As mind sports becomes the new frontier for doping concenrs, research is exploring whether users really get any value from ‘smart drugs.’
Nature, March 3, 2016
Climate Change Frees Ancient Artifacts
One summer 10,300 years ago, a Native American hunter prowled the Rocky Mountains. In 2007, Craig Lee picked up one of his darts.
PNAS Front Matter, November 17, 2015
Ten Bacteria with Real-Life Superpowers
They’re too small to see with the naked eye, but these microbes have abilities that put superheroes to shame.
BBC Earth, July 29, 2015
Probing Cosmic Mysteries in a Remote Desert
Amid the volcanic range of hte windy, otherworldly Atacama Desert, a telescope collects ancient light. Cosmologists hope it will illuminate the conditions of the universe just after its dawn 13.8 billion years ago.
PNAS Front Matter, July 14, 2015
Endoliths Hunker Down and Survive in Extreme Environments
Henry Sun works where other biologists fear to tread, or maybe they just don’t want to.
PNAS Front Matter, February 24, 2015