Enlarge / Wired for science! Boglárka Morvai reader comments 103 Needle, a cheerful miniature schnauzer I had as a kid, turned into a ball of unspeakable noise and fury each time she saw a dog called Puma. She hated Puma so much she would go ballistic, barking and growling. Merely whispering the name “Puma” set ..
Tag : Biology
reader comments 24 Antibodies are incredibly useful. Lots of recently developed drugs rely on antibodies that bind to and block the activity of specific proteins. They’re also great research tools, allowing us to identify proteins within cells, purify both proteins and cells, and so on. Therapeutic antibodies have provided our first defenses against emerging viruses ..
reader comments 16 Human brains (and the brains of other vertebrates) are able to process information faster because of myelin, a fatty substance that forms a protective sheath over the axons of our nerve cells and speeds up their impulses. How did our neurons evolve myelin sheaths? Part of the answer—which was unknown until now—almost ..
Enlarge / Elephant stem cells turned out to be a hassle to generate. reader comments 51 A company called Colossal plans to pioneer the de-extinction business, taking species that have died within the past few thousand years and restoring them through the use of DNA editing and stem cells. It’s grabbed headlines recently by announcing ..
reader comments 5 On one level, we have fireflies figured out. We know the enzyme they use to make light (called luciferase), as well as the chemicals they use in the light-generating reaction. We know them so well that we’ve turned them into useful tools for studying other aspects of biology, such that lots of ..
Enlarge / The Manu area of Peru contains a number of ecological zones. reader comments 11 Peru’s Manu Biosphere Reserve is the largest rainforest reserve in the world and one of the most biodiverse spots on the planet. Manu is a UNESCO-protected area the size of Connecticut and Delaware combined, covering an area where the ..
Enlarge / An example of a Littorina species, the common periwinkle. reader comments 19 The version of evolution proposed by Charles Darwin focused on slow, incremental changes that only gradually build into the sort of differences that separate species. But that doesn’t rule out the potential for sudden, dramatic changes. Indeed, some differences make it ..
Enlarge / At left, one of the fossils, with stacks of thylakoids highlighted using yellow bars; at right, a higher magnification of the end of the cell. Demoulin, et. al. reader comments 29 It’s not an exaggeration to suggest that the most significant event on Earth was the evolution of photosynthesis. The ability to harvest ..
Enlarge / A greater honeyguide reader comments 28 With all the technological advances humans have made, it may seem like we’ve lost touch with nature—but not all of us have. People in some parts of Africa use a guide more effective than any GPS system when it comes to finding beeswax and honey. This is ..
Enlarge / “Leading us like breadcrumbs…” A trail of squat lobsters helped researchers locate previously unknown hydrothermal vents. The hydrothermal vents create chemosynthetic ecosystems, so in areas that are mostly barren of life, the appearance of larger animals can be an indicator of vents nearby. reader comments 15 Spectacular scenery, from lush rainforests to towering ..