Biology
Worm's radical transformation shows metamorphosis can change the functions of cells
A squishy worm that starts its life as something of a floating head in the Pacific Ocean is changing what scientists know about metamorphosis at the cellular level.
AI model decodes cell signaling fingerprints across diverse cell types
As an embryo develops from a small cluster of stem cells, those once "blank slate" cells begin to take on more specialized roles like brain, liver or muscle cells and organize the…
Are rich people really worse behaved? Here’s the science – podcast
Who’s more likely to steal sweets from a child? According to science, it’s the rich. A study seemingly confirming our suspicions about the moral behaviour of the wealthy was one o…
‘This is dangerous’: slime moulds and the bitter debate over the nature of intelligence
Scientists are battling over whether supposedly simple organisms should be considered ‘intelligent’. The outcome could reshape our understanding of the natural world – and our own…
How beavers can help create fire breaks as part of a drought preparation plan
Most of the countryside around the Holnicote estate in Somerset has been dry and dusty for most of the summer. But one corner remains conspicuously green.
Changing the antibiotic playbook to catch an ESKAPE artist
Nearly a century ago, a single colony of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) helped launch the antibiotic age. In 1928, Alexander Fleming returned to his London lab to find that a s…
Park rangers and residents speak up to save Togo's last national park
A few years ago, I drove with an old friend from Togo, West Africa, towards the country's last remaining large protected area, Fazao-Malfakassa National Park. Our destination was …
From strays to territory bosses: Epigenetics makes cheetahs adaptable
The findings of a new study led by the Leibniz-IZW on Namibian free-ranging cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus jubatus) demonstrate that epigenetic mechanisms might play an important role…
Port Hills research reveals 'fire trap' risk from non-native grass
New research from Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury (UC) examining the aftermath of the February 2024 Port Hills wildfire found that some young native trees an…
'Heel-strike' may have allowed early humans to walk farther—at the cost of high-impact forces
The average person takes thousands of steps each day, instinctively walking heel-to-toe. Although they hardly register them, those consistent heel-first strides are more distincti…
What can a pair of underpants tell you about your vegetable garden?
This summer, 115 participants in Leiden and The Hague worked with scientists from Leiden University to investigate the soil life in their community garden plots. With mangetout pe…
Neutrophil vesicles help Candida albicans evade immune-cell engulfment
The immune system is a highly sophisticated defense network designed to protect against pathogens. A research team from the Universities of Würzburg and Jena and the Leibniz Insti…
Organic farming outperforms wildflower strips on profits while both improve farm biodiversity
What makes more sense when farming wheat—strips of wildflowers along fields or organic farming? Both options provide financial support via the European Union as environmentally fr…
Self-processing brain systems show both conservation and reorganization across primates
New in JNeurosci, Ning Liu, from the Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, explored whether brain structures for self-processing are conserved across primates, inc…
Could bats self-medicate? More than 50 wild bats offer clues
When humans get sick, we change our routines and try various solutions to feel better and get well, like staying in bed to rest, going to the doctor, getting medication from the p…
A vital native bee highway can start in your own backyard
When it comes to bees, most of us can identify the ubiquitous honey bee (Apis mellifera) and that's about it.
Cravings ‘like heroin withdrawal’: what happens when weight-loss drugs don’t work?
GLP-1 medications have been a gamechanger in the fight against obesity. But for a minority of patients, their impact is negligible. Why?When Mercedes was told by her doctor that s…
Reconstructed ancient protein maps how bacterial enzymes evolved distinct functions
How do related proteins develop different functions? This is the question investigated by a research team involving Kiel University, DESY and the Center for Structural Systems Bio…
Genomic analysis clarifies origin of unusual tail in endangered Tsushima leopard cat
Tsushima leopard cats are an endangered species found only on this isolated island. The most recent government survey estimated the population at around 150 individuals, and becau…
Decades-old museum specimens reveal 10 extraordinary new worms
Scientists have discovered that one of the most unusual creatures in the animal kingdom is far more diverse and evolutionarily complex than previously known. An international team…
Behind the scenes: The science that confirmed Australia's first H5 bird flu case
When a suspected case of H5 bird flu arrived in Australia, CSIRO scientists knew the first hours would matter.
Glowworms shine again in North Yorkshire after larvae reared in garden shed
Volunteer ‘glow-getters’ overseeing reintroduction of endangered beetles at Nosterfield nature reserveThe bioluminescent beams of “fairy folk” are shining again from a nature rese…
Can dogs sniff cancer? AI joins the hunt in India
When rescue dog Chloe is not tumbling across the grass on a farm outside India's tech capital, Bengaluru, she is learning to sniff human breath for cancer with a little help from …
Hawking by Graham Farmelo review – the dark side of genius
A biography of the physicist recognises his achievements, but also reveals the selfish narcissist underneathWhen I wrote an unadoring review of Stephen Hawking’s final book, a col…