Did Comets Bring Life’s Ingredients to Earth? New Research Casts Doubt on Longstanding Theory
The origin of life on our planet may not be connected to comets after all, as new research questions the long-standing theory.
Biology
A New Experiment Suggests Saturn’s Moon Enceladus Could Be More Hospitable to Life Than We Thought
By growing microorganisms in the lab, scientists have uncovered new support for the prospect that Saturn's moon Enceladus could harbor life.
A New Breakthrough in Cellular Reprogramming Reverses 60 Years of Molecular Aging
In a breakthrough that could signal new advances in age reversal technologies, scientists in Germany report successful experiments where they turned back the biological clock in human cells by more than 60 years. The experiments, carried out by researchers at...
Scientists Built a Computer Using Living Human Brain Cells—Now It Can Decode Braille
Biohybrid computers made of organoids, tiny human brain models using real cells, have reached an important new benchmark.
Scientists Discover a Mysterious Microbe That Challenges Our Understanding of Life
Researchers have identified a microscopic organism with the smallest genome reported for any member of its domain, yet its genetic material retains the core machinery for DNA replication and protein production.
Scientists Discover Ancient Genetic Shake-Up That May Explain the Extraordinary Intelligence of Octopuses
New research reveals how octopuses and other cephalopods developed some of the most complex nervous systems in the animal kingdom.
Could Fungi Be the Missing Ingredient for Growing Food on Mars?
The surfaces of the Moon and Mars cannot support conventional terrestrial crop growth, but a recent scientific review could offer a solution.
Scientists Shielded Flies From Earth’s Magnetic Field—and Their Lifespans Mysteriously Increased
Earth’s magnetic field has a stronger impact on cellular health than realized, scientists say, after magnetic shielding experiments.
“Incredibly Exciting”: This Shape-Changing ‘Fire Amoeba’ Defies Extreme Temperatures by Surviving in 158°F Water
New record-breaking experiments prove that California's 'fire amoeba' can survive in hotter water than any previously known complex organism.
Scientists Discover Bacteria Growing Microscopic “Electrical Wires” With Extraordinary Conductivity
Bacteria grow microscopic electrical wires with remarkable conductivity, revealing a new blueprint for flexible bioelectronics.
Biologists Were Wrong About the “American Cheetah” According to New Genetic Findings
The extinct American cheetah wasn’t a true cheetah at all, say biologists in new research overturning scientific understanding of the big cat.
“We Couldn’t Believe What We Were Seeing”: Scientists Have Discovered a Bizarre New Microbe with an “Alien” Reproductive Strategy
A newly discovered marine microorganism reproduces in a bizarre way reminiscent of the reproductive horror depicted in the "Alien" films.
New Genetic Evidence of an Ancient Killer Has Surfaced After Being Concealed in Medieval Texts for Centuries
The story of a Medieval European plague is coming into focus through historic manuscripts, but not in the way you might think.
Hidden in a Museum Collection for More Than a Century, Researchers Have Just Made a Bizarre New Discovery
Researchers reveal several new species of a bizarre ocean creature that were uncovered after being hidden for decades in museum collections.
New Analysis of “Tasmanian Tiger” Skulls Overturns Assumptions About What Led to the Species’ Extinction
Australia’s extinct thylacine, also known as the Tasmanian tiger, was not the powerful predator European settlers had assumed.
Scientists Discover How Extraterrestrial Life Could Thrive In the Harsh Acidic Clouds Surrounding Venus
A new theoretical kind of extraterrestrial life could survive the harsh acid clouds of Venus, according to MIT researchers.
A Discovery Hidden in Antarctica’s Soil is Unlike Anything Found Elsewhere on Earth, Challenging Past Assumptions
Scientists studying samples of microbes locked in Antarctica's soil have found something that could completely upend previously held beliefs.
Immune Cells Revealed to Have a Unique Sense of Touch in New Research That Could Rewrite How We Understand Autoimmune Problems
How memory survives in immune cells works differently than medical scientists previously believed, according to international researchers.
Scientists Grew Human Brain Organoids for Years and Discovered They Keep Track of Time
Cell-culture brain models called organoids can be used to study far more advanced neurodevelopmental disorders than researchers imagined.
Bumblebees Are Turning Up Dead on Sidewalks This Summer, and Heat Isn’t the Only Culprit
This summer, people across the UK may be noticing dead bumblebees on pavements. This pattern results from a combination of naturally short life cycles, elevated temperatures, and long-term changes in land use.
3.5-Billion-Year-Old Organic Chert Reveals One of Earth’s “Earliest Known Occurrences of Biologically Generated Organic Matter”
Scientists studying ancient chert have found 3.5-billion-year-old signs of life on Earth, making it some of the oldest evidence ever found.
Scientists Propose a New Test for Detecting Alien Life Unlike Anything on Earth
Scientists propose a universal test that could detect alien life without assuming it resembles any biology found here on Earth.
Solving This London Mystery Led to the Discovery of a New Species Almost 6,000 Miles Away
A misidentified frog species that was well known across Ecuador and Colombia remained unrecognized by science for decades—until now.
Inspired by Coral, These Scientists Are Regrowing Bone Under Some of the Most Challenging Conditions
Medical scientists in China have developed a new method for regrowing bone after Steroid-Induced Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head.
Scientists Develop ‘Organ-on-a-Chip’ That Could Reduce the Need for Animal Testing
Human cells on a chip could transform cancer drug testing by offering a human-based alternative to animal testing.
Cameras Finally Captured How a Parasitic Plant That Mimics Mushrooms Spreads Its Seeds—and an Unexpected Ally Was Revealed
A strange plant hides in the forests of Japan, acting as both a parasite and a doppelgänger, tricking hermit crabs into spreading its seeds.
“One Origin of the Genetic Code, but Two Origins of Life”: Scientists Reveal the Ancient Evolutionary Split That Gave Rise to All Life on Earth
An international research team has uncovered how LUCA, the last ancestor of all life on Earth, split into the first two branches.
Antarctica’s Eerie Blood Falls Could Host a Thriving Colony of Million-Year-Old Microbes, Pointing to Evidence of a “Lost” Ocean
Antarctica’s eerie Blood Falls may point to a hidden connection between the sea and the coldest desert on Earth.
An Unexpected Carnivorous Plant Has Been Discovered Growing in China’s Mountain Forests
A century and a half later, botanists are still proving Charles Darwin right in their recent identification of a new carnivorous plant.
Backyard Mosquito Sprays May Be Helping These Blood-Sucking Parasites Evolve, Making Them Resistant to Insecticide
Recent research suggests localized mosquito-control practices may create conditions that favor the evolution of insecticide resistance.
An Unexpected Transmissible Cancer Is Appearing in North American Waterways—Where Did It Come From?
An unexpected transmissible cancer has been detected in North American waterways, prompting new concerns about how the disease developed.
In One of Africa’s Deepest Lakes, Scientists Have Found a Species No One Expected Swimming at Incredible Depths
A remarkable discovery has been made in East Africa’s Lake Malawi, one of the deepest bodies of water on the African continent.
‘Mechanical’ Properties of This Predatory Sea Worm’s Jaws Could Inspire a New Class of ‘Bio-Metal’ Material
A predatory sea worm known as Perinereis cultrifera possesses jaws that do not fit neatly into either biological or metallic categories.
“It Was a Mix of Excitement and Disbelief”: When Scientists Sent Deep-Sea Rovers to Confirm a 1960s Theory, They Made a Surprising Discovery
Deep-sea images captured off the coast of Benin, where 1960s scientists suspected a dead coral reef existed, reveal a shocking discovery.
Citizen Scientists Helped Reveal How Fatherhood Evolved in Spider Relatives
A new study reveals harvestmen, or daddy longlegs, account for more than half of all paternal care cases documented among arthropods.
No Sample-Return Required? Scientists Demonstrate Extraterrestrial Biosignature Detection Method Using the Mars Rover’s Existing Instruments
A new mineral-based biosignature detection method could identify signs of life on Mars using the Perseverance Rover's existing tools.
Scientists Created a Psychedelic ‘Factory’ Inside a Single Plant
Scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science have engineered Nicotiana benthamiana, a fast-growing relative of tobacco, to produce five different psychedelic compounds.
Scientists Have Made a Sweet Discovery in Interstellar Space, Offering Clues to Mystery of Life’s Origins
For the first time, scientists have identified a sugar molecule in the interstellar medium, according to newly published research.
For the Last Century, This Creature Was Thought to Only Exist in Hawaii—and Scientists Just Spotted One in the Himalayas
The strange grin of the Happy-Face spider has been spotted far from the Hawaiian Islands, its only previously known home.
How Jellyfish Can ‘Miraculously’ Heal Without Scars Has Long Remained a Mystery—Scientists Now Know Their Secret
Jellyfish can close a wound in real time, without stitches, scabs, or scars. Now scientists have unlocked the secrets of how they do it.
These Microbes Could Allow Plants to Grow in Impossibly Salty Soil
Salty soil, one of the greatest threats to agriculture, may have a new cure in the form of soil bacteria that allows plants to thrive.
“We’ve Replicated in Chemistry What Only Used to be Possible in Biology”: Scientists Have Created the First Fully Synthetic Cell
Researchers have developed the first entirely artificial cell, made completely from non-living chemical components.
Earth May Have Been Sending Microscopic Hitchhikers Toward Venus for a Billion Years
A new model suggests that asteroid impacts on Earth may have occasionally launched microscopic material into space that could have reached Venus’s atmosphere over billions of years.
A Slowly Aging Butterfly Could Help Scientists Understand Longevity
A University of Bristol-led study reports that a species of butterflies has evolved both longer lifespans and slower physical decline.
Discovery of Fungi Living Within Desert Moss is Challenging Past Thinking on How Organisms Thrive in Arid Environments
Moss has long been regarded as unusual among land plants for its resilience and apparent independence from fungal partnerships, which are common in other species; however, new research from UC Riverside indicates that this view may not apply in desert environments.
Missing a Night’s Sleep Has an Effect on Your Brain You May Not Believe
New experiments have revealed that something unexpected happens inside your brain when you miss a night's sleep.
Scientists Say ‘Timescapes’ Could Unlock the Mystery Behind Non-Human Perception of Time
Researchers say "timescapes" offer a new framework for understanding how species experience the flow of reality.
Deep in the Jungles of Borneo, Scientists Just Discovered a “Hyperparasite” Organism That Preys on Zombie Fungi
Scientists working in the jungles of Borneo report an unsettling discovery: a parasitic organism that they say has a hunger for zombie fungi.
Elephant Trunk’s Hidden Design Could Inspire a New Generation of Soft Robots
The elephant's trunk has long been studied by engineers seeking to understand how it performs both powerful and delicate tasks effectively.
Could Alien Consciousness Be Unlike Anything We Can Imagine? Non-Human Intelligence May Be Stranger Than We Think, These Experts Say
Consciousness may arise in systems far different than the biology on Earth we are used to, according to new research.