Life

  1. Ecosystems

    Tracing Tahitian vanilla

    The discovery of Tahitian vanilla’s heritage could set off a custody battle between nations.

    By
  2. Life

    Hidden in plain view

    Looking for unwavering genes rather than standouts could reveal which genes contribute to disease.

    By
  3. Animals

    We all sing like fish

    From opera singers to toadfish, vertebrates may use basically similar circuitry for controlling vocal muscles.

    By
  4. Health & Medicine

    X-ray vision

    A new imaging technique could give scientists unprecedented views into cells and other objects at the nanoscale.

    By
  5. Animals

    Brains for a change

    Outsized brains may have sped up evolution of body size in birds.

    By
  6. Life

    HIV after DARC

    A gene variant prevalent in people of African descent increases the risk of HIV infection but also helps slow disease progression.

    By
  7. Life

    Young tasmanian devil moms

    Tasmanian devils have started mating much earlier in response to an epidemic, called facial tumor disease, that is wiping out much of their population.

    By
  8. Health & Medicine

    The two faces of prion proteins

    Scientists are learning more about the protein behind mad cow and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, including how to interfere with the protein’s production in the brains of mice.

    By
  9. Life

    Astrocytes are rising stars

    Astrocytes, brain cells previously thought to be support cells for neurons, regulate blood flow in the brain and may aid neuron signaling. The regulation of blood flow makes visualizing brain activity with fMRI possible.

    By
  10. Animals

    Not-OK Coral

    First big species audit finds coral extinction risks severely under-reported

    By
  11. Ecosystems

    Aspiring to Save the Planet

    The failure of the G-8 Summit to put some teeth in greenhouse-gas limits suggests it may be time for a global climate czar.

    By
  12. Paleontology

    A wandering eye

    New look at fossils of primitive flatfish reveals how these fish evolved eyes on one side of their head

    By