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How Genetic Surprises Complicate the Old Doctrine of DNA

July 31, 2023

For over a century, biologists have had to contend with a complicated picture of genetics, which they’ve only recently begun to understand.

Why Insect Memories May Not Survive Metamorphosis

July 26, 2023

The reshuffling of neurons during fruit fly metamorphosis suggests that larval memories don’t persist in adults.

Underground Cells Make ‘Dark Oxygen’ Without Light

July 17, 2023

In some deep subterranean aquifers, cells have a chemical trick for making oxygen that could sustain whole underground ecosystems.

Can Math and Physics Save an Arrhythmic Heart?

July 12, 2023

Abnormal waves of electrical activity can cause a heart’s muscle cells to beat out of sync. In this episode, Flavio Fenton, an expert in cardiac dynamics, talks with Steve Strogatz about ways to treat heart arrhythmias without resorting to painful defibrillators.

In a Fierce Desert, Microbe ‘Crusts’ Show How Life Tamed the Land

July 12, 2023

Extreme microorganisms carpeting the Atacama Desert in Chile illuminate how life might have first taken hold on Earth’s surface.

Microbes Gained Photosynthesis Superpowers From a ‘Proton Pump’

July 5, 2023

New research reveals how marine microbes use an extra membrane that once had digestive functions to boost their yield from photosynthesis.

The Key to Species Diversity May Be in Their Similarities

June 26, 2023

New modeling work suggests why nature is more diverse than niche-based ecological theory predicts.

How the Brain Protects Itself From Blood-Borne Threats

June 20, 2023

To buffer the brain against menaces in the blood, a dynamic, multi-tiered system of protection is built into the brain’s blood vessels.

‘Embryo Models’ Challenge Legal, Ethical and Biological Concepts

June 13, 2023

With embryolike constructs built entirely from stem cells, researchers can revolutionize our understanding of development. But how close to an embryo is too close?

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