Biology

Scientists at Harvard have demonstrated an alternative to CRISPR – a genetic engineering system called Retron Library Recombineering (RLR) that works without cutting DNA and can be quickly applied to huge populations of cells.

Ordinarily, if biologists wish to confirm that an animal specimen represents a new species, they have to perform a dissection – essentially destroying it. Now, though, the task has been accomplished non-invasively, using MRI and CT scan technologies.

All walking animals have something in common – their preferred walking speed is largely determined by what's known as "resonance." Bearing this in mind, scientists have calculated what may have been the default walking speed of Tyrannosaurus rex.

Scientists have discovered a fascinating new example of impressive teamwork among army ants, in which the insects join their bodies together to form scaffolds that stop nest mates from tumbling down steep terrain.

If you've ever wondered why the rabbits in your garden aren't as big as horses, wonder no more. According to a team of scientists led by Kyoto University, competition with larger, hoofed herbivores puts a cap on bunny size.

If something were the largest in its region, you'd think that it would be well-documented. Such has not been the case with a newly discovered centipede, however, which is now the biggest known species in Japan and Taiwan.

Although adult stegosaurs reached lengths of up to 9 m (30 ft) they still started out as small as a cat, if a recently-found footprint is anything to go by. And what's more, they may have walked differently as babies.

For many years now, scientists have learned about the past by analyzing core samples taken from ice caps or soil. They have now applied that same technique to a millennia-old pile of bat poop, with interesting results.

It's a common view that opposable thumbs are a key feature that distinguishes us from most other species, but a flying reptile that clambered through the trees 160 million years ago isn't one of them according to analysis of a newly discovered species.

In order to stay warm on frigid winter days, small birds may do more than just fluff up their feathers. According to new research, they're actually able to make their blood run hotter, creating a sort of central heating system.

Although the chest-beating of male gorillas is a common behaviour, its purpose still isn't entirely understood. Now, however, scientists believe it may serve as a means of acoustically indicating the size of the apes' bodies.

Bacteria have developed crafty weapons in their ongoing wars, such as tailocins, which act somewhat like “homing missiles” against their enemies. Now, researchers have investigated just how tailocins work, and how we might use them to our advantage.