life
‘Zombie’ genes in the brain get to work after you die
Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago find that death triggers increased activity in certain brain cells.
What is life? Why cells and atoms haven’t answered the question.
75 years after Erwin Schrödinger's prescient description of something like DNA, we still don't know the "laws of life."
Lightning may have provided a key mineral for early life on Earth
How do you get usable phosphorus into a system? A new study suggests lightning can do the trick.
Your genetics influence how resilient you are to the cold
What makes some people more likely to shiver than others?
Can cats teach us the meaning of life?
And if they could, would they care, asks philosopher John Gray in his new book.
Here’s a 10-step plan to save our oceans
By 2050, there may be more plastic than fish in the sea.
Scientists grow extremophile microbes on rocks from Mars
The results could help NASA's Perseverance rover find evidence of ancient life on Mars.
Lab-grown brain organoids mature like real infant brains
After 20 months, scientists find lab-dish brain cells matured at a similar rate to those of an actual infant.
Drinking coffee while pregnant alters the fetal brain
A large new study puts caffeine-drinking moms on alert.
Russian scientists study prehistoric animal viruses from the permafrost
Researchers analyze prehistoric viruses in animals dug out from the Siberian permafrost.
Record for oldest DNA ever sequenced broken by mammoth remains
One million year old mammoth DNA more than doubles the previous record and suggests that even older genomes could be found.
Scientists study moving worm “blobs” to create robot swarms
Robot developers adapt the behavior of worm "blobs".
Noise pollution is threatening life in the ‘Anthropocene ocean’
A new paper explores how noise from human activities pollutes the oceans, and what we can do to fix it.
How the pandemic has affected mental health internet searches
Did America's collective mental health get worse (and then better) after the first COVID-19 lockdown?
A philosophical approach to routines can illuminate who we really are
What can 'behaviorism' teach us about ourselves?
Dogs digest human food better and poop less
A new study finds that dogs fed fresh human-grade food don't need to eat—or do their business—as much.
Marine biologists discover 4 new types of photoreceptor
How do these little beasties detect light anyway?
Was ‘Oumuamua a rock or an alien scout? Harvard astronomer talks controversial hypothesis in new book
Ari Loeb, who suggested in 2018 that the mysterious object was an alien craft, is back to discuss the evidence.
Which COVID-19 personality are you?
New research identifies 16 different COVID-19 personality types and the lessons we can learn from this global pandemic.
NASA’s Perseverance rover lands on Mars in 18 days
The space agency describes the process of landing rovers on Mars as "seven minutes of terror."
The lost art of rest: How to relax
In her book The Art of Rest, one researcher conducted a thorough analysis of the top 10 activities we find most restful.
Monkeys are capable of inferential reasoning, study shows
A recent study showed that monkeys can make logical choices when given an A or B scenario.
Lair of giant predator worms from 20 million years ago found
Scientists discover burrows of giant predator worms that lived on the seafloor 20 million years ago.
‘Designer baby’ book trilogy explores the moral dilemmas humans may soon create
How would the ability to genetically customize children change society? Sci-fi author Eugene Clark explores the future on our horizon in Volume I of the "Genetic Pressure" series.
Finding aliens: Is there a ‘theory of everything’ for life?
The search for alien life is far too human-centric. Our flawed understanding of what life really is may be holding us back from important discoveries about the universe and ourselves.
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Is there life after death?
Is death the final frontier? We ask scientists, philosophers, and spiritual leaders about life after death.
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14 min
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Mind uploading: Can we become immortal?
Is the quest to upload human consciousness and ditch our meat puppets the future—or is it fool's gold?
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14 min
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How showing remorse can save your relationships
Scientists ripped up kids' drawings. This is what they learned about relationships.
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5 min
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