Earth

  1. Anthropology

    DNA points to millennia of stability in East Asian hunter-fisher population

    Ancient hunter-gatherers in East Asia are remarkably similar, genetically, to modern people living in the area. Unlike what happened in Western Europe, this region might not have seen waves of farmers take over.

    By Meghan Rosen
  2. Genetics

    CRISPR used in cows to help fight tuberculosis

    Chinese researchers used a CRISPR/Cas 9 gene editor to make cows more resistant to tuberculosis.

    By Helen Thompson
  3. Genetics

    CRISPR used in cows to help fight tuberculosis

    Chinese researchers used a CRISPR/Cas 9 gene editor to make cows more resistant to tuberculosis.

    By Helen Thompson
  4. Oceans

    Cone snails wander in circles, lose focus with boosted CO2

    Deadly cone snails wander in circles and become less capable hunters when exposed to higher levels of carbon dioxide in seawater.

    By Elizabeth Eaton
  5. Oceans

    Cone snails wander in circles, lose focus with boosted CO2

    Deadly cone snails wander in circles and become less capable hunters when exposed to higher levels of carbon dioxide in seawater.

    By Elizabeth Eaton
  6. Earth

    3-billion-year-old crystals hint at lost continent’s fate

    Zircon crystals from a long-gone continent called Mauritia may have resurfaced during volcanic eruptions on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean.

    By Thomas Sumner
  7. Oceans

    Climate change may boost toxic mercury levels in sea life

    Increased runoff to the ocean due to climate change could raise neurotoxic mercury in coastal sea life by disrupting the base of the food web.

    By Thomas Sumner
  8. Plants

    Big genetics study blazes path for bringing back tomato flavor

    Combining taste tests with genetics suggests what makes heirloom varieties tastier than mass-market tomatoes.

    By Susan Milius
  9. Earth

    Devastation detectives try to solve dinosaur disappearance

    Dinosaurs and others faced massive losses 66 million years ago from an asteroid impact, volcanic eruptions or maybe a mix of the two.

    By Thomas Sumner
  10. Environment

    Humans’ stuff vastly outweighs humans

    The human-made technosphere weighs 30 trillion tons and surpasses the natural biosphere in mass and diversity, researchers estimate.

    By Thomas Sumner
  11. Climate

    Earth’s last major warm period was as hot as today

    Sea surface temperatures today are comparable to those around 125,000 years ago, a time when sea levels were 6 to 9 meters higher, new research suggests.

    By Thomas Sumner
  12. Climate

    Monsoon deluges turned ancient Sahara green

    The ancient Sahara Desert sprouted trees and lakes for thousands of years thanks to intense rainfall.

    By Bruce Bower