Life

  1. Neuroscience

    Making a mistake can put your brain on ‘pause’

    When there’s not much time to recover, one error can lead to another.

    By
  2. Genetics

    How to grow toxin-free corn

    Corn genetically altered to produce specialized molecules may prevent a fungus from tainting it with carcinogenic toxins.

    By
  3. Neuroscience

    Scratching is catching in mice

    Contagious itching spreads by sight mouse-to-mouse, and scientists have identified brain structures behind the phenomenon.

    By
  4. Genetics

    Scientists move closer to building synthetic yeast from scratch

    Scientists have created five more synthetic yeast chromosomes.

    By
  5. Animals

    De-extinction probably isn’t worth it

    Diverting money to resurrecting extinct creatures could put those still on Earth at risk.

    By
  6. Archaeology

    Ancient dental plaque tells tales of Neandertal diet and disease

    Researchers have reconstructed the diet and disease history of ancient Neandertals.

    By
  7. Archaeology

    Ancient dental plaque tells tales of Neandertal diet and disease

    Researchers have reconstructed the diet and disease history of ancient Neandertals.

    By
  8. Animals

    Readers dispute starfishes’ water-swirling abilities

    Volcanic eruptions, fast-freezing water, starfish physics and more in reader feedback.

    By
  9. Neuroscience

    Brain training turns recall rookies into memory masters

    Six weeks of training turned average people into memory masters, a skill reflected in their brains.

    By
  10. Agriculture

    Fleets of drones could pollinate future crops

    Chemist Eijiro Miyako turned a lab failure into a way to rethink artificial pollination.

    By
  11. Ecosystems

    Invasive species, climate change threaten Great Lakes

    In The Death and Life of the Great Lakes, a journalist chronicles the lakes’ downward spiral and slow revival.

    By
  12. Paleontology

    Identity of ‘Tully monster’ still a mystery

    Paleontologists challenge whether the Tully monster actually was a vertebrate because it lacks key vertebrate structures.

    By