Biology

To develop new model organisms, scientists will have to find species that are easy to grow in the lab.

The bulk of biological research is centered on a handful of species. Are we missing a huge chunk of interesting biology?

When life first emerged roughly 4 billion years ago, DNA may have been a much more malleable molecule.

Scientists are exploring a mysterious pattern, found in birds’ eyes, boxes of marbles and other surprising places, that is neither regular nor random.

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.

Researchers are racing to understand how the Zika virus causes birth defects. Their first results have revealed tantalizing clues about how the virus interferes with the developing brain — and how it might be stopped.

A newly discovered anole on the island of Hispaniola confirms that the buildup of ecological communities can follow predictable patterns.

The neuroscientist Sheena Josselyn can evoke and erase memories in mice using new tools that precisely control the brain.

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.