Biology

Modern humans and more ancient hominins interbred many times throughout Eurasia and Africa, and the genetic flow went both ways.

In the “underground economy” for soil nutrients, fungi strike hard bargains and punish plants that won’t meet their price.

Mathematicians and neuroscientists have created the first anatomically accurate model that explains how vision is possible.

Researchers agree it’s a long shot, but transmissible cancers could theoretically evolve into independent species. Certain weird parasites might be living proof.

Modeling suggests that many embryonic cells commit to a developmental fate when they become too small to divide unevenly anymore.

Researchers found that elongating certain brain signals in rats improved their memory. The work revealed a new property to look out for in the hunt for “biomarkers” of learning.

To avoid passing on new mutations to offspring, plants may minimize the number of divisions by the stem cells that make flowers and seeds.

The computer vision scientist Greg Johnson is building systems that can recognize organelles on sight and show the dynamics of living cells more clearly than microscopy can.

Theories about how animals became multicellular are shifting as researchers find greater complexity in our single-celled ancestors.