Latest science news in Biology & Nature
What makes mountain birds sing at dawn—and why are they sometimes quiet? Ecologists explain
Three species of the melodic African warbler bird refuse to get up early and sing their customary daybreak songs when the weather is cold. This new discovery was made recently...
Two white-blooded fish, two paths: Icefish and noodlefish independently lose red blood cell function
Antarctic icefish are famous for living without red blood cells, but they are not alone. A species of needle-shaped, warm-water fish called the Asian noodlefish also lacks hemoglobin and red...
Flowering plant origins: Dosage-sensitive genes suggest no whole-genome duplications in ancestral angiosperm
Angiosperms, also known as flowering plants, represent the most diverse group of seed plants, and their origin and evolution have long been a central question in plant evolutionary biology. Whole-genome...
13 years later, the IKEA monkey is all grown up — and his sanctuary is at capacity
Thirteen years after an attempted escape from an IKEA parking lot, Darwin the monkey has been living out his life at Storybook Primate Sanctuary, the only one of its kind...
Bundle up and look up! The annual Geminid meteor shower is upon us
Baby, it’s cold outside — but it’s worth putting on that heavy winter coat, scarf and boots and heading out for one of the best meteor showers of the year:...
Orcas and dolphins caught on video collaborating to hunt salmon
Researchers from Dalhousie University were trying to study how northern resident orcas find salmon to eat, but they ended up finding an unexpected symbiosis with another species — dolphins.
Rockalina the turtle meets member of her own species for the 1st time in 48 years
After nearly 50 years living on a kitchen floor in New Jersey and eating a diet of mainly cat food, Rockalina the turtle was in rough shape. But after 11...
Rare instance of polar bear cub being adopted near Churchill verified by scientists
Scientists were recently greeted with a most unexpected surprise when a polar bear mother and her cub were walking near Churchill in mid-November when scientists witnessed the mother adopt a...
Frustration grows in Niagara Falls, Ont., with no clear progress on fate of Marineland and belugas
Nearly two months after Ottawa denied Marineland's request to export its whales, residents in Niagara Falls, Ont., continue to wait for news on the future of the shuttered theme park's...
Scientist says we’ve got whale song all wrong
In a new book called Why Whales Sing, Eduardo Mercado details his life's work to try and understand what whale songs are all about.
Weird 'Obelisks' Found in Human Gut May be Virus-Like Entities
Rod-shaped fragments of RNA called “obelisks” were discovered in gut and mouth bacteria for the first time
What Apple's New Vision Pro Headset Might Do to Our Brain
The release of Apple’s mixed-reality headset raises questions about hours spent in a virtual replacement of our world
Chimpanzees and Bonobos Have Surprisingly Different Parenting Styles
Chimpanzee “helicopter moms” often protect their offspring from bullies, but bonobo moms are more hands-off
An Evolutionary 'Big Bang' Explains Why Snakes Come in So Many Strange Varieties
Snakes saw a burst of adaptation about 128 million years ago that led to them exploding in diversity and evolving up to three times faster than lizards
Scientists create safer pig organs with goal of transplants for humans
(Reuters) - Scientists at a Massachusetts company seeking to make pig organs safe enough to be transplanted into humans have used gene-editing technology to clone piglets that lack a potentially...
Majority of fruit fly immunity studies can be replicated, huge analysis finds
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Paleontologist to lead U.S. national academy
Neil Shubin, an evolutionary biologist best known for discovering an important fish fossil, has been nominated to head the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS). He will take over next year with the...
Molecular fossils offer first glimpse of how life survived Snowball Earth
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A mushroom that escaped from kitchens could be harming North American wildlife
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How a string of deadly shark attacks made a remote island a hub of lifesaving research
Related podcast Studying a shark-haunted island, and upgrading our microbiomes with engineered bacteria ...
Insect X-Men: Helmets help these odd bugs sense electric fields
It’s an ant! It’s a thorn! It’s a treehopper! This group of small insects—comprising about 3200 species around the world—have evolved an extraordinary range of shapes by modifying a structure on their back...
Stealing a ‘superpower’
Corey Allard in his lab at Harvard Medical School.Niles Singer/Harvard Staff Photographer Science & Tech Stealing a ‘superpower’ Study finds some sea slugs consume algae, incorporate photosynthetic parts into their own bodies to...
Forecasting the next variant
Health Forecasting the next variant Professor Eugene Shakhnovich (from left), Dianzhuo (John) Wang, and Vaibhav Mohanty worked together on the studies.Veasey Conway/Harvard Staff Photographer Yahya Chaudhry Harvard Correspondent July 3, 2025 5 min read Harvard...
Hearing breakthrough
Health Hearing breakthrough David Corey’s lab closes in on revolutionary interventions to treat hereditary deafness July 21, 2025 1 min read
For biologists studying tiny worms, new technologies make big improvements
Two new technologies are helping scientists understand new aspects of organ and nervous system development in C. elegans. One allows them to image worms developing in a natural environment, while...
New study resolves the structure of the human protein that causes cystic fibrosis
In order to better understand how genetic mutations give rise to cystic fibrosis, researchers need to map the protein responsible for the disorder. The new structure has led to new...
For microbes fighting viruses, a fast response means a better defense
Researchers have found that the bacterial immune system targets an invading virus as soon as it enters the cell. This discovery answers a long-standing question about how microbes defend themselves....
Study identifies “night owl” gene variant
Scientists have discovered a common mutation that might explain why some people have trouble going to sleep at night and getting up early. The gene alteration slows the internal biological...