
The Closest Living Relative of the First Animal Has Finally Been Found
A debate has been settled over the earliest animal ancestor—a free-swimming creature with a well-developed nervous system
Viviane Callier is a freelance science writer based in North Bethesda, Md. Credit: Nick Higgins
A debate has been settled over the earliest animal ancestor—a free-swimming creature with a well-developed nervous system
By tuning the enzymes that control the breakdown or storage of sugars, hummingbirds and cavefish adapt their metabolism to meet the demands of the vastly different environments in which they live...
The BCG vaccine might assist in preventing a range of major diseases...
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Acquaintances, more than close friends, show the strength of “weak ties” when it comes to employment
New work explains “one of nature’s most exquisite biological micro-machines”
Pasty cave fish seem to repurpose a melanin-making molecule to better survive famine
These avian tree drillers do tricks to protect their noggin. Meanwhile snapping shrimp avoid the problem with external eye goggles
Were mitochondria a driving evolutionary force or just a late addition?
A new study offers a possible answer to the question “Why me?”
The sea squirt relative demonstrates that sometimes less is more: losing genes can be adaptive
A new model could help model disease transmission and urban planning
New blood tests help to track disease-causing Plasmodium strains
By answering the question posed in Molyneux’s problem, the invertebrates may have demonstrated an ability to internally represent objects
Enjoy and loop on
A slick coating, inspired by the carnivorous pitcher plant, could halve the liquid needed for flushing
An infectious disease model shows that ideas from prestigious institutions are more likely to spread farthest
Elastic springs help tiny animals stay fast and strong. New work is finding what size critters must be to benefit from the springs
Long-overlooked “tunneling nanotubes” and other bridges between cells act as conduits for sharing RNA, proteins or even whole organelles
Minor genetic changes can have big evolutionary consequences. When a gene duplication gave some water striders a novel leg part, it opened up a new world for them
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