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Fossilized remains of cyanobacteria thought to be among the first organisms on earth (Wikimedia Commons). How did life originate? This puzzle has been studied by scientists for hundreds of years. Authors of a new paper in Nature have made significant…

Rendering of the double helical structure of DNA [Image: Dna rendering/ynse under CC-BY licence]Recent advances in genetics have afforded the ability to precisely manipulate every letter of our genetic code.  Several world-renowned biologists, however,…

Although dark matter makes up 80% of all matter in the universe, physicists are still struggling to understand exactly what it is. This perplexity is largely due to the fact that dark matter is invisible and difficult to study directly, but a dwarf…

Ant feeding on honey [Image: Fir0002/Flagstaffotos under CC-BY license] Traits that exist along a continuum, such as height, size, and behavior, vary significantly from person to person. The genetic and environmental interactions that cause these…

You probably saw the photo of the dress that caused an uproar on the Internet a few weeks ago (1). You probably also formed a firm opinion about whether the dress was blue and black or white and gold. Some of you may even have worried that you were…

Turning on the tap for a clean glass of water is a luxury many Americans take for granted. Though TransCanada Corporation promises minimal spillage and environmental impact through improved safety features in its plans to install a 1169-mile-long,…

Many viral diseases that affect us originate from viruses crossing over into humans from another animal species and when a virus makes such a jump it may find the human species to be less hospitable for its replication. In this, HIV-1 is no exception:…

Certain types of life-threatening bacteria are no longer killed by current antibiotics, creating a need to develop new compounds to fight them. Scientists have been studying proteins produced by animals and humans, called cationic antimicrobial peptides…

In many elementary schools, students are introduced to the idea that rats spread one of the deadliest diseases in human history – the Bubonic plague. It was told in history classes that rats carried fleas, which carried the bacteria responsible for the…

Image Credit: Kristen Seim Jane eats organic foods, avoids plastic containers and switched to plant-based shampoo and cosmetics.  “You have no idea how clean my home is, but I still don’t feel protected,” Jane told me. Like many other expectant mothers,…