Life

  1. Humans

    Mother lode

    Certain sugar molecules in human breast milk do more to foster beneficial microbes, and banish harmful ones, than they do to nourish newborns.

    By
  2. Microbes

    Microscopic menagerie

    The microbes dwelling in and on multicellular organisms should be viewed as evolutionarily inseparable from their hosts, some biologists argue.

    By
  3. Microbes

    The vast virome

    When it comes to the microbiome, bacteria get all the press. But virologists are starting to realize that their subjects also do a lot more than make people sick.

    By
  4. Life

    Year in Review: Gift of steroids keeps on giving

    Mouse muscles stay juiced long after doping ends.

    By
  5. Animals

    Year in Review: Odd cicada history emerges

    Brood II returns better understood.

    By
  6. Animals

    Year in Review: Canine genealogy

    Competing clues confuse the story of dog domestication.

    By
  7. Life

    Feedback

    Readers discuss dog origins and how important a sense of scale is in science journalism.

    By
  8. Neuroscience

    Year in Review: Obama unveils brain initiative

    In April, the president announced an ambitious plan to reveal the human brain’s secrets.

    By
  9. Animals

    A year of rediscovered species

    Thousands of species go extinct each year, but at least a few are found after many years of being lost.

    By
  10. Neuroscience

    Bad memories fade with a short jolt

    Research illustrates the vulnerability of the brain’s information storage.

    By
  11. Genetics

    Year in Review: Caffeine triggers cloning advance

    To successfully clone human cells, eggs must be dunked in the stimulant.

    By
  12. Animals

    African frog conceals itself with chemicals

    Two small peptides keep the West African savanna frog from being stung by ants.

    By