biology | Life & News

science

Not all genes are necessary for survival – these species dropped...

Staff Writer - October 27, 2019

Jessica M. Velez, University of Tennessee; Alison Gerken, Kansas State University, and Amey Redkar, Universidad de Córdoba Humans, the latest tally suggests, have approximately 21,000...

science

The womb isn’t sterile – healthy babies are born with bacteria...

Staff Writer - September 16, 2019

Kent Willis, University of Tennessee For the last hundred years, scientists have believed that humans develop in a womb that remains sterile and completely isolated...

science

The new field of sonogenetics uses sound waves to control the...

Staff Writer - August 11, 2019

Sreekanth Chalasani, University of California San Diego What if you didn’t need surgery to implant a pacemaker on a faulty heart? What if you could...

science

How fireflies glow – and what signals they’re sending

Staff Writer - July 24, 2019

Clyde Sorenson, North Carolina State University You might not really be sure you saw what you think you saw when the first one shows up....

science

Spider glue’s sticky secret revealed by new genetic research

Staff Writer - June 5, 2019

Sarah Stellwagen, University of Maryland, Baltimore County What do all of the over 45,000 described spider species on Earth have in common? Each makes at...

science

Giant mosquitoes flourish in floodwaters that hurricanes leave behind

Staff Writer - October 11, 2018

Michael Reiskind, North Carolina State University After Hurricane Florence, reports started rolling in of “giant mosquito” sightings – and bitings – throughout North Carolina. What’s...

Environment

Caught on camera: The fossa, Madagascar’s elusive top predator

Staff Writer - September 21, 2018

Asia Murphy, Pennsylvania State University Mention wildlife on Madagascar and the first thing listeners probably picture is the island’s famed lemurs. As many people know,...

science

Meet the ocean creatures that use a mesh of mucus to...

Staff Writer - May 2, 2018

Kelly Sutherland, University of Oregon All animals must eat to survive. If you’ve heard the term “grazer” before, it may bring to mind familiar farm...