Life

Hundreds of millions of animals get killed for meat every day.

Pugs are funny and cute, but that is because we have bred them intentionally to have debilitating genetic mutations. Is that ethical?

The problem with carnivores turned omnivores.

Orchids continue to elude science.

Scientists agree that eons ago, a bacterium took up residence inside another cell and became its powerhouse, the mitochondrion. But there are competing theories about the birth of other organelles such as the nucleus and endoplasmic reticulum.

This biochemist is determined to create a new life form by reversing the shape of molecules.

Every astrobiologist wants to find an alien. But the public should be skeptical when the "aliens" look like tiny humans.

The potential benefits of returning the thylacine to Australia make the project worth the effort.

Carnivorous plants fascinate as much now as when their gruesome diet was first discovered.

They're not just watching you; they're also calculating.

Scientists solve a long-standing mystery in Bavaria.

AI is helping us replace petrochemicals with natural enzymes.

The technology could yield "made-to-order resistance genes" to protect crops against pathogens and pests.

Researchers estimate there may be as many as ten million trillion trillion phages on Earth — that's 10 with 30 zeros after it.

Metaphors like the Great Chain of Being can lead people to misunderstand evolution and humanity’s place in the web of life.

In polarized times, our shared cellular origin can unite us in solidarity and awe — from the embryonic scale to the grandest cosmic perspective.

From the laying out of the body plan to the organization and functioning of our nervous system, cells rule gene expression and make us who and what we are.

If cocaine affects sharks at all, it does so as an anesthetic, not as a stimulant.

The space‑specific neurons in the owl’s specialized auditory brain can do advanced math.

A dog's breed isn't as predictive of behavior as many think it is. Environment and upbringing play a much larger role.

Quantum physics is starting to show up in unexpected places. Indeed, it is at work in animals, plants, and our own bodies. 

Genetic profiles of many dog breeds appear as if siblings mated.

A photographer captured Bern’s eclectic and charming feline structures.

Embark on a journey through one of the most profound ecological transitions in the history of complex life.

Rich data on the global state of our feathered friends presents plenty of bad news — but also some bright spots.

Numerous videos online show that squid undergo a dramatic color-changing effect after being stunned or killed.

The intensely white coloration of the shrimp is a remarkable feat of bioengineering.

The first-of-its-kind approval could change how we think about gene-edited foods.

The "island rule" hypothesizes that species shrink or supersize to fill insular niches not available to them on the mainland.

Billy was a local celebrity in the early 1900s. And he might have been a murderer.