In the age-old story of evolution, reptiles wear their history on their skin. From the sleek scales of snakes to the iridescent feathers of birds, these appendages hold clues to…
Category: Biology
Tiny Molecule Makes Big Impact on Plant Growth and Human Health
In the mysterious, microscopic world of cellular chemistry, some molecules wear more than one hat. Among them is itaconate, a molecule that has long been recognized for its defensive role…
Scientists Discover Protein That Shields DNA and Reduces Cancer Risk
In the intricate world of cellular processes, DNA repair is a crucial mechanism that keeps the genetic blueprint intact. When DNA breaks inside a cell, it can set off a…
Scientists Discover How Fermentation Boosts the Health Benefits of Pulses
The pursuit of better nutrition through plant-based foods has reached a significant milestone, thanks to research conducted by food scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Their groundbreaking study on…
Ancient Moth Scales Found in 236 Million Year Old Dung in Argentina
The story of how paleontologists uncovered ancient evidence of butterflies and moths from nearly 236 million years ago reads like something straight out of a scientific adventure novel. But this…
New Pterosaur Species Discovered in Japan’s Late Cretaceous Skies
A groundbreaking discovery by an international team of researchers from Japan, China, and Brazil has added an exciting chapter to the field of paleontology: the identification of a new pterosaur…
New Study Reveals Hidden Pain of Fish During Slaughter and Offers Solutions
Fish—whether wild-caught or farmed—have long been overlooked in discussions about animal welfare. While significant advancements have been made in improving the treatment of land animals, much of the research into…
Two Porpoises Swim Free Again in the Yangtze After Years of Care
In a quiet stretch of the Yangtze River, ripples broke the surface as two sleek, dark shapes glided into the current and vanished beneath the murky waters. For many, it…
When Human Viruses Kill Chimps and What We Can Do to Stop It
Long before the COVID-19 pandemic taught the world the meaning of “viral transmission,” “mask mandate,” and “quarantine,” a silent epidemic was already brewing—one not among humans, but among our closest…
How Giant Herbivores Kept Earth’s Ecosystems Alive for 60 Million Years
Long before humans began rewriting the landscape with highways and cities, Earth was shaped by creatures of breathtaking size and power. Mastodons tromped through forests in search of tender shoots.…
Scientists Discover Female Earwigs Evolved Weapons Too
In the world of animal combat, size often matters—but so does shape, symmetry, and sometimes, a well-placed pincer. For decades, biologists have been fascinated by the bizarre and often oversized…
Ancient Fossil Reveals Hoverflies Were Wasp Impersonators 33 Million Years Ago
In the rolling hills of Děčín in northern Bohemia, an ancient forest once thrummed with life—lush canopies, chirping proto-birds, and buzzing insects weaving intricate dances in the humid air. Time…
Arctic Birds: 73 Million-Year-Old Nursery Discovered in Alaska
Each spring, as snow melts from the northernmost reaches of our planet, a symphony rises over the tundra. Loons trill from thawing lakes, geese honk their way across vast skies,…
Solving a 10,000-Year-Old Mystery: Proteins Reveal Why Megafauna Disappeared
When the last Ice Age began to ebb, the world teemed with creatures of astonishing size and strangeness. Towering ground sloths lumbered through the Americas, mammoths grazed across the frozen…
Ancient Chinese Dragon Reveals Secrets of Middle Jurassic Dinosaurs
In the rocky wilderness of Gansu Province, tucked between arid hills and windswept sedimentary outcrops, time sits thick and unmoving. This is a place where history doesn’t just echo—it whispers…
The Botanical Echo Two Plants, One Potent Chemistry
In the dense tapestry of evolution, nature often spins the same pattern twice. Sometimes this is by shared ancestry, other times by a mysterious convergence that defies linear logic. Among…
Chronic vs. Acute Illnesses: What You Should Know
Before we enter the world of chronic and acute illnesses, it’s worth pausing to consider the word “illness” itself. In every language, every culture, illness is not just biological—it’s emotional,…
Ancient Teeth Reveal Hidden Diversity in Early Human Cousins
In the cool limestone shadows of South Africa’s Swartkrans cave, a new kind of time traveler is whispering stories—not through bones or tools, but through the microscopic proteins locked inside…
Scientists Discover Solid Condensates That Power Our Sense of Smell
In the quiet chambers of the nose, a biological mystery has lingered for decades. How can a single sensory neuron—among billions—choose just one gene to express out of a thousand…
Discovery of 346 Million Year Old Tetrapod Sheds Light on Evolutionary Mystery
In 1984, on a quiet day in West Lothian, Scotland, an amateur fossil hunter named Stan Wood stumbled upon something that would change the evolutionary narrative of life on Earth.…
The Secret to Living Longer May Lie in How Our Cells Die
In the heart of every living organism lies an orchestra of cellular activity, each cell a performer playing its role with exquisite precision. But like all performances, life’s symphony eventually…