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Three “inquiline” social parasites of the clonal raider ant species, showing their queenlike wings on worker-size bodies, on a white background.
evolution

A Mutation Turned Ants Into Parasites in One Generation

By Viviane Callier
May 8, 2023
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A new genetics study of ant “social parasites” shows how complex sets of features can emerge rapidly and potentially split species.

A female Bolivian squirrel monkey with a baby on its back, walking across a suspended rope ladder. A third money crouches behind it.
evolution

Animal Mutation Rates Reveal Traits That Speed Evolution

By Yasemin Saplakoglu
April 5, 2023
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The first large-scale comparison of mutation rates gives insights into how quickly species can evolve.

genomics

How a DNA ‘Parasite’ May Have Fragmented Our Genes

By Jake Buehler
March 30, 2023
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A novel type of “jumping gene” may explain why the genomes of complex cells aren’t all equally stuffed with noncoding sequences.

The Joy of Why

Can We Program Our Cells?

By Steven Strogatz
March 8, 2023
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By genetically instructing cells to perform tasks that they wouldn’t in nature, synthetic biologists can learn deep secrets about how life works. Steven Strogatz discusses the potential of this young field with researcher Michael Elowitz.

A sad woman stands under an umbrella that is decorated with images of brains, molecules and DNA. Rain falls on her under the umbrella but the day is otherwise clear.
neuroscience

The Cause of Depression Is Probably Not What You Think

By Joanna Thompson
January 26, 2023
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Depression has often been blamed on low levels of serotonin in the brain. That answer is insufficient, but alternatives are coming into view and changing our understanding of the disease.

neuroscience

What Causes Alzheimer’s? Scientists Are Rethinking the Answer.

By Yasemin Saplakoglu
December 8, 2022
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After decades in the shadow of the reigning model for Alzheimer’s disease, alternative explanations are finally getting the attention they deserve.

A snake and two frogs staring at one another across a rock.
genomics

How Genes Can Leap From Snakes to Frogs in Madagascar

By Veronique Greenwood
October 27, 2022
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The discovery of a hot spot for horizontal gene transfer draws attention to the possible roles of parasites and ecology in such changes.

synthetic biology

Biologists Use Genetic Circuits to Program Plant Roots

By Joanna Thompson
September 28, 2022
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Using inserted genetic circuitry, synthetic biologists controlled the growth of plant roots for the first time.

The Joy of Why

Why Do We Get Old, and Can Aging Be Reversed?

By Steven Strogatz
July 27, 2022
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Everybody gets older, but not everyone ages in the same way. In this episode, Steven Strogatz speaks with Judith Campisi and Dena Dubal, two biomedical researchers who study the aging process.


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