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How to Grow a New Model Organism
To develop new model organisms, scientists will have to find species that are easy to grow in the lab.
Faster Evolution on a Warmer Earth
When life first emerged roughly 4 billion years ago, DNA may have been a much more malleable molecule.
Hope That an Old Drug Might Treat Zika
Scientists are having a difficult time finding a treatment for the Zika virus in part because so few drugs are safe for pregnant women. But one antibiotic has shown promise.
A Quasicrystal’s Shocking Origin
By blasting a stack of minerals with a four-meter-long gun, scientists have found a new clue about the backstory of a very strange rock.
New Lizard Shows Evolution’s Predictability
A newly discovered anole on the island of Hispaniola confirms that the buildup of ecological communities can follow predictable patterns.
Handicapping the 2018 Fields Medal
Peter Scholze is a favorite to win one of the highest honors in mathematics for his contributions in number theory and geometry.
Rumors Cast Doubt on Diphoton Bump
Rampant rumors and a new analysis undercut hopes of a major discovery at the Large Hadron Collider.
The Universe Is Not a Snowflake
Nature’s laws are beautiful because they strike a compromise between boring symmetry and confusing asymmetry, physicists say.
How to Grow Metal-Eating Microbes
Metal-eating microbes get energy from rocks and could teach us about life on other worlds — but first scientists had to learn how to grow them in the lab.