Lab-grown “reductionist replicas” of the human brain are helping scientists understand fetal development and cognitive disorders, including autism. But ethical questions loom.
Author: CARL ZIMMER
He Studied Why Some Female Birds Look Like Males
Jay Falk explored a fundamental question: How do genes give rise to different bodies? But without funding, “there’s not really a future here.”
Life Lessons from (Very Old) Bowhead Whales
A gene that helped bowheads adapt to frigid Arctic waters also granted them extraordinary longevity. Could it help aging humans become more resilient?
Save the Whales. But Save the Microbes, Too.
Conservation biologists propose a daunting task: protecting Earth’s diversity of bacteria and other microbes.
How Did Hands Evolve? Look to Your Anus, a New Study Suggests.
The evolutionary blueprint for hands was borrowed in part from a much older genetic plan for our nether regions, a new study suggests.
Uncovering the Genes That Let Our Ancestors Walk Upright
A new study reveals some of the crucial molecular steps on the path to bipedalism.
How the Pygmy Sea Horse Lost Its Snout
The genome of a small, remarkable sea horse offers a surprising lesson in nature’s creativity.
Scientists Split Giraffes Into Four Species. Three Are In Trouble.
A reassessment of the iconic species has “some dramatic implications for how we view giraffe conservation across Africa,” a new study concludes.
Hints of Life on Exoplanet K2-18b Recede Even Further
New observations fail to confirm signs of life in the atmosphere of the distant planet K2-18b. They also raise questions about what it will take to detect biology light-years away.
Hints of Life on Exoplanet K2-18b Recede Even Further
New observations fail to confirm signs of life in the atmosphere of the distant planet K2-18b. They also raise questions about what it will take to detect biology light-years away.