Life

  1. Earth

    Dinosaurs, in living color

    Researchers find microscopic structures in some fossils that may have held pigments.

    By
  2. Humans

    Cigarettes might be infectious

    Science & Society blog: The tobacco in cigarettes hosts a bacterial bonanza — literally hundreds of different germs, including those responsible for many human illnesses, a new study finds.

    By
  3. Life

    For pipefish, measly Mr. Mom needs help

    In species with pregnant males, females may put something extra into eggs.

    By
  4. Life

    Carnations had evolutionary bloom boom in Europe

    New species have evolved at a surprisingly rapid pace, new study suggests

    By
  5. Math

    Slime mold is master network engineer

    Single-cell organism develops food distribution system that is as efficient as the Tokyo rail system; inspires new math model for designing dynamic systems.

    By
  6. Life

    MRSA bacterial strain mutates quickly as it spreads

    Antibiotic-resistant microbe's detailed family tree reveals roots of the global infection.

    By
  7. Life

    Protein may be new target for obesity, diabetes therapies

    Molecule regulates flip of a metabolic switch, helps determine how the body uses glucose.

    By
  8. Life

    Snail in shining armor

    A deep-sea gastropod’s natural shield may offer ideas for human protection.

    By
  9. Life

    Jiminy Cricket! Pollinator caught in the act

    Using night-vision cameras, scientists have documented the first example of cricket pollination of an orchid and discovered a new species of the insect on the island of Réunion.

    By
  10. Life

    Alligators breathe like birds

    Tricky measurements of flow reveal that air moves through the animal in one direction.

    By
  11. Climate

    Acidifying ocean may stifle phytoplankton

    Chemical changes in seawater make a key nutrient less available to these organisms.

    By
  12. Life

    Soybean genome turns out to be soysoybeanbean

    The plant's newly sequenced genetic blueprint includes a surprising number of spare copies.

    By