Biology

New research has discovered a distinct circadian mechanism within heart cells that influences how cardiac activity shifts across 24-hour periods. The findings offer clues to why shift workers are at higher risk of heart problems.

Lizards can regrow their tails, but the new tail isn't quite perfect. Scientists have now used stem cell therapy to let lizards grow better tails – bones, nerves and all – in an advance that could have implications for better wound healing in humans.

The 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded jointly to David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian, for their work uncovering the receptors that allow us to perceive temperature and pressure.

How life first emerged from non-living matter is one of the most enduring mysteries of science. In a new study, scientists have created self-replicating protocells in the lab, which could represent the “missing link” between chemistry and biology.

Scientists at the University of East Anglia have found a way to accurately measure the age of lobsters using changes in their DNA. The new study is aimed at a better understanding of lobster life cycles and better managing lobster fisheries.

Australian researchers have found the bacteria in your mouth can react with certain compounds in Brassica vegetables to generate a sulfurous odor that may explain some people’s strong dislike of foods such as brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower.

Fresh analysis of 54-million-year-old fossils has revealed the oldest known example of cavities among mammals, with prehistoric primates by the name of Microsyops latidens found to suffer from them with increasing regularity.

Because both bats and moths are nocturnal, bats use echolocation to zero in on the insects when hunting them in the dark. A new study, however, suggests that some moths have evolved special wingtips to avoid becoming a meal.

Lab-grown mini-brains can help us crack the puzzle of our own minds. Scientists have made a major breakthrough by growing mini-brains with the pathological features of Parkinson’s disease for the first time, paving the way towards better treatments.

Sharing information is crucial for species to survive, but how do simple lifeforms like worms spread the word? New research has found that roundworms can transfer “memories” to their neighbors, and pass them down to their offspring for generations.

Princeton University researchers have made a breakthrough in the world of molecular machines, by using self-assembling peptides to form the world's tiniest interlocked biomechanical structures, measuring just one billionth of a meter in size.

Animals, like us, experience a deterioration of memory in old age. But a new study suggests that cuttlefish are the first species in which this appears not to be the case.