Biology

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.

A new technique has been added to the CRISPR gene-editing toolbox. Known as PASTE, the system uses virus enzymes to “drag-and-drop” large sections of DNA into a genome, which could help treat a range of genetic diseases.

The remains of the oldest meal on record have been identified. In half-billion-year-old fossils of a strange slug-like creature called Kimberella, scientists found preserved food molecules in the gut, revealing what and how these ancient animals ate.

It's thought the Earth is currently entering its sixth major extinction event, but a new study suggests it may actually be the seventh. Scientists have found evidence of a previously unknown mass extinction event that struck half a billion years ago.

Researchers have demonstrated that inducing a kind of hibernation state could help protect organs from damage when blood circulation is stopped during surgery. The technique slows down the metabolism and has been found to work well in tests in mice.

New research has reported on the consequences of feeding dairy cows commercial hemp. Despite the hemp containing negligible levels of psychoactive THC the researchers detected significant behavioral changes in the animals and levels of THC in their milk.

Paleontologists have discovered the fossil remains of one of the largest turtles that ever lived. Measuring about the size of a Volkswagen Beetle, it roamed the seas of Europe during the age of the dinosaurs.

Scientists at Duke University have created a real-time video that captures the frantic movements of a single virus as it tries to infect a cell. The video shows a part of the process that’s normally hard to see.

Researchers have created induced pluripotent stem cells from the genetic material of the critically endangered Sumatran rhino, potentially providing new ways to help conservation efforts. They even used them to grow mini rhino brains in lab dishes.

Striking new research suggests the lifespan of honey bees kept in controlled laboratory conditions is 50% shorter than what was seen in the 1970s. The researchers hypothesize genetic changes in bees may be responsible for the shorter lifespans.

Scientists studying the behavior of wild octopuses off the coast of Australia have made a strange discovery, with the creatures caught hurling silt, algae and even shells at one another in a rare example of animal throwing behavior.

Fruit flies differ from us in many ways, including the fact that they can't move their eyes relative to the rest of their head. That's not a problem, however, as new research shows that they move their retinas within their unmoving eyes instead.

Birds sing, dogs bark and turtles – well, talk in their way too. A new study has found a range of “mute” species do actually vocalize, and concluded that all acoustic communication can be traced back to a single ancestor more than 400 million years ago.

Do people eating lots of sugar become desensitized to sweetness? Scientists have found evidence that this might be the case, with a new rat study finding that those on a high-sugar diet had up to a 50% reduction in responsiveness to sweet flavors.