Biology

MetaGraph compresses vast data archives into a search engine for scientists, opening up new frontiers of biological discovery

Controversial evidence hints that complex life might have emerged hundreds of millions of years earlier than previously thought—and possibly more than once

Trees’ inner heartwood harbors methane-producing microbes adapted to oxygen-poor swamps and cow guts

If you want to know where the best leaf peeping will be this year, climate science and weather can provide the answer

Tim Flach captures his fascination with the science of cats in stunning photographs from his new book Feline

Saturn’s moon Enceladus shows signs of life-supporting chemistry, fungi may have shaped Earth before plants, and repeat COVID infections raise long-term health risks for kids.

Scientists found new gecko species hidden in plain sight in pristine deserts of southern Africa, thanks to their loud, barking mating calls

When more humans are added to a team, each member accomplishes less work—but teams of weaver ants do better and better as more join

Artificial tissues that mimic the placenta, endometrium, ovary and vagina could point to treatments for common conditions such as preeclampsia and endometriosis

Cells in cow udders could act as a site for human flu and bird flu viruses to swap genes and generate dangerous novel strains

Mary Roach unpacks the millennia-long effort to replace failing body parts—and the reasons that modern medicine still struggles to match the original designs.

Winners of the annual Ig Nobel awards include the science of tipsy bats and the physics of cacio e pepe