Biology

Some populations of neurons simultaneously process sensations and memories. New work shows how the brain rotates those representations to prevent interference.

A patchwork of genomic differences in the placenta may explain the organ’s “live fast, die young” strategy and its connections to cancer.

Embryonic cells can self-assemble into new living forms that don’t resemble the bodies they usually generate, challenging old ideas of what defines an organism.

Most modeling efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic have sought to address urgent practical concerns. But some groups aim to bolster the theoretical underpinnings of that work instead.

The zoologist Arik Kershenbaum argues that because some evolutionary challenges are truly universal, life throughout the cosmos may share certain features.

Scientists have struggled to formulate a universal definition of life. Is it possible they don’t need one?

In a second season of enlightened conversations, Steven Strogatz and leading researchers nourish our pandemic-starved minds.

Researchers are tracking the different strains of SARS-CoV-2 and studying how they spread through our population and our bodies.

The learning algorithm that enables the runaway success of deep neural networks doesn’t work in biological brains, but researchers are finding alternatives that could.