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Primary Immune Deficiencies When you meet with Dr. Luigi Notarangelo, the first sign that he is at work today comes from hearing the sounds of frantic typing emanating out of his office at Children’s Hospital Boston. Without breaking stride, he senses…

A DNA sequence from a hominin in Northern Spain 400,000 years ago reveals the diversity of human-like species living in Eurasia just prior to the evolution of modern humans. Excitingly, the specimen is more similar to the Denisovans, previously thought…

Facing the devastating impacts of global warming and energy insecurity, the US has mandated blending biofuels into its transportation fuel supply through the Renewable Fuels Standards (RFS) program. At current projected gasoline and diesel consumption…

Just a few weeks ago, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to three scientists: Dr. Randy Schekman, Dr. Thomas Südhof, and Dr. James Rothman. These three men were rewarded for their work on a curious organism we encounter in our everyday…

The Nobel Prize is named after a scientist, Alfred Nobel, who established the prizes in his will in 1885. Alfred Nobel is famous for inventing dynamite. However, he mistakenly believed that his invention would bring about a more peaceful world. He is…

Our culture generally assumes that human beings are a monogamous species, with two people committed to one another for a long-term relationship. Scientifically, the existence of monogamy seems counter-intuitive. One of the principles of evolution is that…

If superior design is what you seek, look no further than your own front yard. Plants and photosynthetic microbes can convert sunlight and air into energy, with an energy efficiency that would make a Prius owner blush. In a less dramatic, but no less…

Since the first discovery of virus by Martinus Beijerinck in 1898, viruses have been classified in a number of different ways. First, viruses were considered a poison, then a life-form, next demoted to classification as a biological chemical, and finally…

In today’s busy world, it can be hard to find time to exercise. Various factors, such as sedentary jobs and the presence of TV and video games at home, can contribute to inactivity in adults and kids alike. Both fitness experts and medical professionals…

It has long been a goal of the scientific community to understand the mysteries of how the human brain develops from just a few cells into an organ capable of coordinating conscious thought. Slowly but surely, scientists are illuminating this black box…