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Biology

Latest Articles

How Heat Kills Cells

May 9, 2017

The proteins that unravel as the temperature starts to rise turn out to be among the most vital.

Swirling Bacteria Linked to the Physics of Phase Transitions

May 4, 2017

The new experiments suggest that simple models can explain the behavior of thousands of interacting organisms.

The Secret Power of the Cell’s Waste Bin

April 25, 2017

Trash collectors in the cell moonlight at the controls of the genetic machinery.

Q&A

A Map of Human History, Hidden in DNA

April 20, 2017

The computational biologist John Novembre uses our genetic code to rewrite the history of humanity.

Evolution Runs Faster on Short Timescales

March 14, 2017

Examine evolution over the course of years or centuries, and you’ll find that it progresses much more quickly than it does over geologic time.

Why Did Life Move to Land? For the View

March 7, 2017

The ancient creatures who first crawled onto land may have been lured by the informational benefit that comes from seeing through air.

How Circadian Clocks Differ From Sleep

February 17, 2017

The circadian clock is in nearly every cell, and researchers have untangled many of its secrets. But sleep has been harder to pin down.

Researchers Tap a Sleep Switch in the Brain

February 14, 2017

Powerful new experiments have uncovered some of the molecular underpinnings of sleep.

How Life Turns Asymmetric

January 31, 2017

Scientists are uncovering how our bodies — and everything within them — tell right from left.

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