Biology(Page 6)

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

Latest in Biology

three researchers padding a canoe on a polluted waterway under a bridge

Pollution-eating microbes are thriving in infamous NYC canal

By Lauren Leffer

Close up of woman's mouth during dental exam

Lab-grown teeth could be the future of dentistry

two hot dogs topped with yellow mustard and sauerkraut

Put more sauerkraut on your hot dog (your gut might like it)

By Laura Baisas

A “zombie ant” that has been infected by the parasitic fungus Complex Ophiocordyceps unilateralis.

Cordyceps fungus: ‘The Last of Us’ co-star thriving outside the spotlight

Oklahoma City USA - September 9 2015; Oklahoma City Bombing Field of Empty Chairs a sculpture in bronze and glass remembering the 168 killed in bombing in 1997

Oklahoma City bombing trauma changed the ‘actual physical being’ of survivors

Close up of cane toad tadpole eating toad eggs underwater

Cannibal tadpoles help Australia fight invasive species

Researchers conducting necropsy on woolly mammoth calf

Dissected mammoth calf smells like ‘fermented earth and flesh’

When you were conceived could impact your weight

By Lauren Leffer

three men work on planting a tree

A tree with 40 different fruits planted in Philadelphia

By Laura Baisas

an illustration of several mouths talking

How to talk for a very, very long time

By Laura Baisas

An illustration showing how the brain and gut are connected.

The brain remembers what gave you food poisoning

By Laura Baisas

an adult eagle tends to two chicks on a nest

Jackie and Shadow’s eaglets officially named: Meet Sunny and Gizmo

By Laura Baisas

Green ocean island water against blue sky with mountains in distance

Earth’s oceans weren’t always blue, scientists say

one brown horse and one black horse run along green fields in iceland

Scientists discover why horses are such exceptional athletes

By Lauren Leffer

Venus fly trap wasp encased in amber

This ancient ‘Venus fly-trap’ wasp used its butt to kill

three elephants crossing a river

Elephants avoid wasting energy during their epic journeys

By Laura Baisas

a hummingbird with blue, green, purple, and white feathers sucks nectar out of a yellow flower

Baby hummingbird appears to mimic caterpillar to avoid death

By Laura Baisas

Mars Curiosity rover selfie picture against Martian background

Curiosity finds largest-ever organic molecules on Mars

a small bird with yellow plumage stands on a branch with its mouth wide open

Traffic noise is making these Galápagos birds more aggressive

By Laura Baisas

Father teaching baby how to walk in living room

Why don’t we remember being a baby? New clues in memory mystery.

a green iguana sitting at the base of a palm tree

After a 5,000-mile float, these iguanas probably set an ocean record

By Laura Baisas

Hand holding titanium heart implant against black background

In world first, man leaves hospital with titanium heart

an illustration of a black rodent-like early mammal with a membrane like a flying squirrel flying through a forest

Early mammals were all one color, study suggests

By Lauren Leffer

Artistic reconstruction of the terrestrial ecological landscape before the end Permian mass extinction based on fossil palynomorphs, plants, and tetrapods recovered, as well as sedimentological data from the South Taodonggou Section

The remote locale that shielded plants during Earth’s biggest mass extinction

By Laura Baisas

Original fossil (ATE7-1) alongside the mirrored right side by means of virtual 3D imaging techniques of the face of a hominin assigned to Homo aff. erectus found in level the TE7 of Sima del Elefante site.

1.4-million-year-old bones deepen mystery of who reached Europe first

an illustration of a small weasel-like early mammal with brown, black, and white fur climbing on a tree

This extinct tree-dwelling mammal may be among humans’ closer relatives

By Laura Baisas

a man on a boat holds a large orange pet goldfish

Please stop releasing pet goldfish into the wild

By Laura Baisas

three small and gray balg eaglets eat fish given to them by an adult bald eagle

Bald eagle live cam team shares what’s next for the 3 eaglets

By Laura Baisas

Blue-lined octopus in aquarium tank

Male octopus poisons its mate to avoid becoming post-sex snack

A mother humpback whale and her calf swimming in warm waters.

Whale pee moves vital nutrients thousands of miles

By Laura Baisas

Close up of lemon shark

Megalodon may have been ‘even longer’ than we thought

Diagram of Lapedo child grave site

Scientists pinpoint age of suspected human-Neanderthal hybrid child

a green frog with its eyes and mouth sticking out of a shallow pool of water

Earth’s ‘Great Dying’ killed 80-90% of life. How some amphibians survived.

By Laura Baisas

Doctors performing eye surgery in operating room

Surgeons implant teeth in patients’ eyes to restore vision

two baby eagles tended to by their parent

The famous bald eagle nest live cam is back and we have 3 baby eaglets

By Laura Baisas

a large hornet dismembers a honey bee

1,400 different bug species found in the guts of Asian hornets

By Laura Baisas

three narwhals with long tusks swim in the arctic ocean

Narwhals spotted using tusks for non-mating fun

By Laura Baisas

Close up of hands preparing pill capsules in lab

‘Poop pills’ tested in pancreatic cancer patients

A polar bear mom and cub on sea ice, off the coast of Svalbard, Norway.

See the first moments when 3 polar bear cubs emerge from their den

By Laura Baisas

a raccoon looking at a camera

Morning lark or night owl? Prevailing ideas of mammal activity are outdated

By Lauren Leffer

a newly discovered species of plant. it has fuzzy white wool on its green leaves, a yellow center, and two small red flowers

New species of fuzzy sunflower found by national park volunteer

By Laura Baisas

a dead fish being dragged on artificial turf

Dragging dead fish around reveals super power of mucus

By Ethan Freedman

Red tomatoes with googly eyes on yellow background

Scientists finally figured out why tomatoes don’t kill you

a large bird with a long neck and black plumage called an emu walking around in nature

Emus might not be the ‘world’s dumbest bird’ after all

By Laura Baisas

an illustration of two orchids and their root systems. one is growing near decomposing wood and fungi and has more flowers. the other is still growing, but does not have as many flowers

Parasitic orchids ditch photosynthesis for fungi

By Laura Baisas

Young woman yawning, close up

Why do some people need less sleep?

By Clarissa Brincat

a close up of a diver wearing a mask and a fish swimming towards him

Wild fish can recognize human divers

By Laura Baisas

an illustration of an extinct big cat about the size of a leopard. it is brown with sharp teeth

Skull of a 30-million-year-old apex predator discovered in Egypt

By Laura Baisas

africa and the middle east seen from space

New theory ups the odds that intelligent aliens exist

By Lauren Leffer

a cuttlefish swimming in the ocean

Cuttlefish ink can help keep sharks away from humans

By Laura Baisas

a seal with grey coloring wearing an orange heart rate monitor around its abdomen

Baby seals are wearing heart monitors–for science

By Laura Baisas

one jaw fossil and six vertebrae fossils lined up

500,000 years ago, a bunch of animals fell into a Florida sink hole

By Laura Baisas

a turtle peeks its head out of the water

These sea turtles ‘dance’ when magnetic fields lead them to a snack

By Laura Baisas

A blow fly larva disguised as a termite, antennae and all.

Rare fly species wears fake termite head to infiltrate nests

By Laura Baisas

a long python snake coiled in the grass with its head poking up

Hunting for Burmese pythons is best done in the dark

By Laura Baisas

a close up of a brightly colored mantis shrimp. they have two buldging eyes and greenish-yellow side appendages that they use to punch

How mantis shrimp protect their powerful ‘fists’ of fury

By Laura Baisas

a black and white dog called a border collie sniffs around green grass

Border collies out-sniff some hunting dogs in scientific smell competition

By Laura Baisas

a tiny green frog looking up from water

Frogs rescued from a deadly fungus welcome 33 froglets

By Laura Baisas

a close up of a human ear

Most humans haven’t moved these muscles in 25 million years

By Laura Baisas

a woman reaches to scratch a red rash on her upper back

Why scratching a rash really does make it worse

By Laura Baisas

a spider with a large white fungus covering its head

Fungus-infected zombie spiders discovered in Northern Ireland

By Laura Baisas

A polar bear still hunting on the sea ice of Hudson Bay, Manitoba, Canada.

How do polar bears keep ice off their fur? Grease.

By Laura Baisas

Finally, scientists get a penguin’s-eye-view of the world

By Laura Baisas

a baby swell shark swimming in a tank

Aquarium surprised by shark born in a tank without males

By Laura Baisas