New Atlas

Biology Audio available

Mental compass: New evidence suggests humans can sense Earth's magnetic field

Michael Irving March 18, 2019

Magnetoreception, or the ability to sense the Earth’s magnetic field, pops up throughout the animal kingdom, but it’s generally thought to be something humans missed out on. But new research has found changes in human brain wave activity that seems to be in response to a changing magnetic field.

A new study has found evidence that humans can detect changes in the geomagnetic field

Biology Audio available

Researchers home in on the brain’s taste-sensing "sweet spot"

Rich Haridy March 14, 2019

The subjective nature of taste has made pinning down where this sense is processed in the brain difficult. But now researchers have finally homed in on the brain's "sweet spot," revealing the center responsible for processing different types of tastes.

A new study presents the best evidence to date of the exact location in the brain ...

Biology

Dramatic regenerative abilities may have emerged relatively recently in some animals

Anthony Wood March 7, 2019

Researchers have identified at least four species of marine worms that have independently evolved the ability to regrow their heads and brains, despite sharing a common ancestor that couldn’t. The discovery could help scientists understand the traits that allow animals to regrow lost limbs.

Regeneration experiments were performed on 22 marine ribbon worm species, and data examined from previous studies ...

Biology Audio available

Incredibly rare "semi-identical" twins born in Australia

Michael Irving February 27, 2019

Twins born in Queensland, Australia have been found to belong to an extremely rare in-between type known as “semi-identical” twins. This is only the second known case in the world, and the first time it was identified during pregnancy using genetic testing.

Semi-identical twins born in Australia mark only the second known case in the world

Biology Audio available

Synthetic DNA demonstrates just how weird aliens might be

Michael Irving February 21, 2019

Different conditions on different planets could have led life down paths that are completely … well, alien. To demonstrate, a NASA-funded study has successfully created a new synthetic genetic system that’s a viable alternative to DNA, made with twice as many “ingredients.”

An illustration of the new synthetic DNA structure, showing regular nucleotides (green, blue, red, yellow) along ...

Biology Audio available

Zebras' stripes found to keep flies from landing

Ben Coxworth February 21, 2019

A recent study indicated that fewer horseflies land on mannequins with stripes painted onto them. The research was inspired by observations that zebras also tend not to be bothered much by flies. A separate study now offers an explanation as to why that's the case.

Researchers put a zebra-pattern coat on a domestic horse, as part of the study

Biology Audio available

DNA tags in the brain found to help erase fear memories

Michael Irving February 19, 2019

New research from the University of Queensland (UQ) has now found a chemical pathway that helps the brain wipe fear memories, which could lead to new potential treatments for phobias and other fear-related anxiety disorders.

A new study has found DNA modifications related to how we unlearn fears, which could be ...

Biology

Grasses found to cheat evolution by stealing genes from their neighbors

Michael Irving February 19, 2019

Plenty of students cheat on tests by copying off neighbors, and it turns out that grasses are doing the same thing. Scientists have found evidence that some species of grasses are stealing genes from their neighbors to help them adapt, effectively bypassing millions of years’ worth of evolution.

Researchers have found that a species of grass known as Alloteropsis semialata can steal genes from ...

Biology

Placenta-on-a-chip test shows how caffeine passes from mother to baby

Michael Irving February 18, 2019

The placenta may be one of the least understood organs, but it’s important to study its effects on the health of a developing fetus. Researchers at Iowa State University have used microfluidic models of the organ, a placenta-on-a-chip, to see if, and how much, caffeine can cross from mother to baby.

Using a placenta-on-a-chip, researchers have found that caffeine can be passed from a mother to a ...

Biology

Great white shark genome has been sequenced, revealing clues to longevity and cancer resistance

Michael Irving February 18, 2019

To many of us, the great white shark is a mysterious and scary creature from the deep – but now it’s a little less mysterious. Scientists have sequenced the entire genome of the great white shark, revealing a few clues as to how these animals are so good at healing wounds and resisting cancer.

The genome of the great white shark has been sequenced