biology
The life-long psychological effects your first love has on you
If love is an addiction, your first love is the first dose.
Awareness of death and other incredible examples of animal intelligence
Elephants mourn the dead, dolphins give names to each other, and insects can recognize faces. The animal world is much smarter than we think.
The secret to how scorpions, spiders, and ants puncture tough skin
These animals to grow scalpel-sharp and precisely shaped tools that are resistant to breaking.
Rhino mystery going back to Darwin solved
A recent study sheds light on the evolutionary history of rhinoceroses and their remarkably low levels of genetic diversity.
Barnacles inspire a blood-repelling tissue glue for sealing wounds faster
MIT researchers design glue that mimics the sticky substance barnacles use to cling to rocks.
Nightmarishly large bird-eating centipedes are propping up a whole island ecosystem
These enormous centipedes are straight out of science fiction.
Endosymbiotic theory: evolution is powered by innovation and thievery
Sometimes, new combinations of preexisting things revolutionize life.
Yes, the maximum life span will increase this century, but not by more than 10 years
The risk of dying basically flattens after age 110.
Squirrel parkour: How leaping squirrels could inspire more nimble robots
While a squirrel's life may look simple to human observers – climb, eat, sleep, repeat – it involves finely tuned cognitive skills.
Three powerful technologies we borrowed from nature
Three cutting-edge techniques – the gene-editing tool CRISPR, fluorescent proteins and optogenetics – were all inspired by nature.
Why did birds survive extinction while dinosaurs died out?
The brain of an ancient bird offers clues to the survival of its modern-day relatives.
28 ancient viruses unknown to science found in a Tibetan glacier
Scientists discover surviving viruses in 15,000-year-old glacier ice on the Tibetan Plateau in China.
Dogs know when people are lying
A new study tested to what extent dogs can sense human deception.
Why so gassy? Mysterious methane detected on Saturn’s moon
Scientists do not know what is causing the overabundance of the gas.
Watch the stunning “icy fingers of death” instantly freeze creatures
Strange underwater icicles form in the Earth's coldest regions and freeze living organisms in place.
How evolution shifts from unicellular to multicellular life
When facing a predator, single cells sometimes unite to defend themselves, paving the way for more complex multicellular life forms to evolve.
Why are octopuses so intelligent?
The opening of jars, while impressive and often used to illustrate octopus intelligence, is not their most remarkable ability.
Sleep deprivation affects fertility, memory, and even your immune response after a vaccine
Are you getting a full 8 hours?
Why do big creatures live longer?
Humans could, in theory, one day use scaling laws to extend our lifespans.
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Baby beasts: Love and evolution in the animal kingdom
Evolutionary success is not about the number of one's children, but one's grandchildren: the children need to survive and pass on their genes.
Biohackers could drive insulin price down 98 percent
A team of biohackers is on a David-versus-Goliath mission to make insulin affordable to an increasing number of diabetics.
This deep-sea brittle star survived 180 million years of evolution
These distant cousins of starfish live on sea floors around the globe.
Cause of worst mass extinction ever found
A new study reveals what caused most life on Earth to die out during the end-Permian extinction, also known as the Great Dying.
Genetics of unexplained sudden cardiac arrest
New research shines a light on the genetics of sudden cardiac deaths.
Lobsters, jellyfish, and the foolish quest for immortality
Being mortal makes life so much sweeter.
The suction speed of an elephant’s trunk is 330 miles per hour
That's as fast as a bullet train in Japan.
Ancient megalodon shark was even bigger than estimated, finds study
A school lesson leads to more precise measurements of the extinct megalodon shark, one of the largest fish ever.
Is human consciousness creating reality?
Is the physical universe independent from us, or is it created by our minds, as suggested by scientist Robert Lanza?