Biology

Manipulating microbes has helped human civilization for millennia, since we started using yeast to make bread and booze. In a modern breakthrough, scientists have created semi-living “cyborg cells” that can survive in environments natural cells can’t.

Back in 2021, we heard about a pterosaur that had a mouth full of big, sharp teeth. Well, scientists have now discovered a pterosaur that went to the other extreme, as it used over 400 small, hooked teeth to catch its prey.

Harvard scientists have investigated why we age, and how we could stop it. In tests in mice, the team showed that epigenetic “software glitches” drive the symptoms of aging – and a system reboot can reverse them, potentially extending lifespan.

Researchers have resurrected ancient CRISPR proteins from millions and even billions of years ago. Not only can they still edit human cells, but they’re more versatile than modern versions, paving the way for new synthetic CRISPR gene-editing tools.

Mini human brains, grown from stem cells and implanted into living mice, have for the first time been shown to respond to things the mice were seeing. Scientists were able to watch the responses in real time thanks to specialized graphene electrodes.

Scientists have for the first time created male and female stem cells from the same person. This means the cells are genetically identical except for the sex chromosomes, enabling a new platform for studying sex differences in drugs and diseases.

When glassfrogs sleep, they turn their bodies transparent in order to evade predators. Scientists have now discovered that they do so by moving their red blood cells into their liver – and the finding could have implications for human medicine.

It has long been known that some of the earliest mammals coexisted with the later-period dinosaurs. Now, for just the second time ever, scientists have documented fossil evidence of a dinosaur having actually eaten one of those mammals.

Breeding plants can give them new beneficial traits, but trees have a frustratingly long reproductive cycle. Now, scientists at the University of Georgia have used CRISPR gene-editing to make poplar trees flower within months rather than a decade.

Could the phenomenon of whale and dolphin strandings be due to Alzheimer's-like cognitive deficits in pod leaders that draw groups into shallow waters? A new study found pathological signs of Alzheimer's disease in brain tissue from stranded dolphins.

It has long been believed that our prehistoric ancestors started walking on two legs as they moved from the trees into the open environment of the African savanna. A new study of chimpanzees, however, suggests that such may not have been the case.

Researchers have created a synthetic “cellular glue” that bonds cells together to different degrees. The technique could speed up wound healing, even in tissues that don’t heal well naturally, and eventually allow scientists to build better organs.

Scientists have discovered a completely new branch on the tree of life. This “supergroup” contains an incredibly diverse range of predatory microbes that are extremely different genetically from any other form of life on Earth.

If you've ever listened to death metal rock or Mongolian throat singing, you'll be familiar with the growling vocals that are part of both. Well, bats make similar sounds, and it turns out that they do so in the same manner as human singers.

Scientists in Japan have demonstrated a technique that allows them to remotely control the movements of worms. By implanting light-sensitive proteins into the organisms, the team was able to make them move under green light and stop under UV.