Biology(Page 20)

A guide to life, on Earth and beyond, including the top news about plants, animals, and physiology.

Latest in Biology

Thale cress plant leaf shown with defenses and regeneration against a black background

A chemical tweak could help plants bounce back from damage faster

a brown bat in flight

The secret to these bats’ hunting prowess is deep within their ears

By Kate Baggaley

A fossil with a series of diagonal slashes cut into one corner.

Eating meat may not have been as crucial to human evolution as we thought

By Philip Kiefer

a graphic rendering of a orange-colored cancer cell being attacked by a gray immune cell

Scientists discover how a cell may cheat its own death

Paleontological researchers on a volcanic mound in Ethiopia's Kibish Formation, where some of the oldest Homo sapiens have been discovered

Eastern Africa’s oldest human fossils are more ancient than we realized

By Kate Baggaley

A crab with huge eyes on the front of its face swimming after a shrimp with a big head.

This 90-million-year-old crab had the eyes of a hunter

By Philip Kiefer

half of a circle with concentric rings of brown, gold, and amber radiating outwards

These sophisticated bacteria communities assemble in tie-dye formation

By Maggie Galloway

E. coli bacteria on a green background to show germ theory vs. terrain theory

This pseudoscience movement wants to wipe germs from existence

By Isobel Whitcomb

Asteroid that killed the dinosaurs striking Earth. Illustration.

If that asteroid had been 30 seconds late, dinosaurs might rule the world and humans probably wouldn’t exist

By Sara Chodosh

an illustration of a marine reptile

These ancient marine reptiles got very big, very fast

By Kate Baggaley

a color illustration of a brown and white bird in a lush forest

This 120-million-year-old bird could stick out its tongue

By Kate Baggaley

Fish sounds tell us about underwater reefs—but we need better tech to really listen

By Charlotte Hu

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a ‘raft of life’ for animals in the open ocean

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a ‘raft of life’ for animals in the open ocean

By Kate Baggaley

Red, yellow, and black cartoon character depicting overeating during the holidays and specifically Thanksgiving

The extreme consequences of stuffing yourselves during the holidays

By Christina Agapakis

A young harbor seal looking at the camera

Baby seals sing bass notes when they want attention

By Philip Kiefer

Baltimore checkerspot caterpillar curled up in a black and orange ball

Inflatable tentacles and silk hats: See how caterpillars trick predators to survive

By Erin Fennessy

an illustration of two human ancestors in africa

Is it time to change the way we talk about human evolution?

By Kate Baggaley

Scientists discovered an extremely rare tardigrade fossil trapped in Dominican amber

Scientists discovered an extremely rare tardigrade fossil trapped in Dominican amber

Researchers are using gassy, explosive bacteria to destroy cancer cells

Researchers are using gassy, explosive bacteria to destroy cancer cells

Night owls can become early birds. Here’s how.

Night owls can become early birds. Here’s how.

By Isobel Whitcomb

These female hummingbirds don flashy male feathers to avoid unwanted harassment

These female hummingbirds don flashy male feathers to avoid unwanted harassment

Here’s how hagfish slime gets 10,000 times bigger in 0.4 seconds

By Sara Chodosh

tetrapod fossil

Our four-legged ancestors evolved from sea to land astonishingly quickly

By Philip Kiefer

Salty ridged potato chips on yellow background

What happens if you eat too much salt?

By Alexandra Ossola

Both bats and humans test out talking as infants

Both bats and humans test out talking as infants

The weirdest things we learned this week: Falcon sex hats and buying human skulls on Instagram

The weirdest things we learned this week: Falcon sex hats and buying human skulls on Instagram

By Rachel Feltman

Scientists genetically engineered prehistoric proteins to detect diseases

Scientists genetically engineered prehistoric proteins to detect diseases

an illustration of a melting planet earth covered in lush trees and leaves

An ancient era of global warming could hint at our scorching future

Soldier termites marching

These photos are proof that evolution is wild and wondrous

By Popular Science Team

a colorful illustration of long-tailed gray rodents carrying assorted objects such as buttons, bones, bugs, and flowers

What’s in a packrat’s petrified pee? Just a few thousand years of secrets.

By Jason Bittel

We have now seen our sense of smell in action

We have now seen our sense of smell in action

By Philip Kiefer

an adult giraffe stands in the grass with a young giraffe

Giraffe grandmas help keep herds going

Mother and baby killer whale swimming in ocean with mountains in the background.

These killer whales go through menopause

Your Nose Is Bad At Warming Air

By Alexandra Ossola

corn cob blue background

The bizarre botany that makes corn a fruit, a grain, and also (kind of) a vegetable

By Sara Chodosh

Elizabeth Kolbert On The Vanishing Of Species

Elizabeth Kolbert On The Vanishing Of Species

What the heck is a species anyway?

What the heck is a species anyway?

By Sara Chodosh

Bacterial zoo in a bottle

Grow A Bacterial Zoo In A Bottle

A 3-D rendering of a human-like skull faces forward against a black background. The skull is a tan color and has a pronounced brow ridge, large nose cavity, and square-ish eye sockets. The lower jaw is absent.

The debate over ‘Dragon Man’ shows that human origins are still kind of messy

By Lauren Leffer

A close-up of juvenile Hawaiian bobtail squid.

Dozens of baby squid are orbiting our planet right now

Microbes Will Be Essential For Human Survival On Mars

Microbes Will Be Essential For Human Survival On Mars

By Kate Baggaley

A furry looking, ground-hog like creature climbs onto a rock from the forest floor surrounded by leaf litter and tree saplings at night.

Elephants can add a cuddly new cousin to their family tree

By Lauren Leffer

Two scientists dig with a shovel.

These 142-year-old seeds sprouted after spending more than a century underground

A person wearing a baseball cap and tan jacket holds a pair of green, silver, and yellow pruning shears up to a tree branch, read to cut.

Humans have become the biggest selection force in evolution

By Lauren Leffer

Frozen Siberian microbes just woke up from a 24,000-year nap—and immediately got busy

Frozen Siberian microbes just woke up from a 24,000-year nap—and immediately got busy

By Ellie Shechet

How Ancient Human-Like “Hobbits” Got So Small

How Ancient Human-Like “Hobbits” Got So Small

By Grennan Milliken

Iceman’s Stomach Bug Gives Clues To Humans’ Spread Into Europe

Iceman’s Stomach Bug Gives Clues To Humans’ Spread Into Europe

By Grennan Milliken

The First Dogs May Have Been Domesticated In Central Asia

The First Dogs May Have Been Domesticated In Central Asia

By Grennan Milliken

A Brown hen sits on a nest of straw and one brown egg in a particle board compartment. A white egg sits nearby.

Even from inside their shells and wombs, embryos are listening

By Lauren Leffer

A new finding raises an old question: Where and when did life begin?

A new finding raises an old question: Where and when did life begin?

The Mars Jezero crater

Life could be hiding deep under Mars

By Leto Sapunar

Important Scientific Mystery Solved: How Birds Lose Their Penises

Important Scientific Mystery Solved: How Birds Lose Their Penises

By Lindsey Kratochwill

A Garibaldi fish swims through a California kelp forest.

These newly discovered sea sponges were hiding in plain sight in California’s kelp forests

Highlights from the Biodesign Challenge Summit

Highlights from the Biodesign Challenge Summit

By Daniel Grushkin

A tangle of macaque monkeys.

Laughter is a key part of play for many animals

A trio of giraffes from the necks up against a cloudy sky backdrop.

Ask Us Anything: Why do humans stop growing?

By Claire Maldarelli, Jessica Boddy

Scientists Rank World’s Most ‘Evolutionarily Distinct’ Birds

Millennium- old poop reveals the surprising diversity of our ancestors’ microbiomes

Sharks have a sixth sense for navigating the seas

Sharks have a sixth sense for navigating the seas

By Ellie Shechet

an illustrated man with a magnifying glass held up to his eye

Ask Us Anything: Why can’t we see more colors?

By Claire Maldarelli, Jessica Boddy

Wheat farm and blue sky

Understanding plant biological clocks could boost future agriculture

By Sara Kiley Watson

wasp eating bug

Wasps are the bee’s knees

By Philip Kiefer

High temperatures can cause embryonic bearded dragons to change sex

An ant on a bright green leaf.

In the battle for the crown, Indian jumping ants shrink and regrow their brains