Biology

Scientists Could Soon Resurrect the Woolly Mammoth—but Should They?

Bringing an extinct species back to life was once firmly in the realm of science fiction, but as genetic engineering advances rapidly, the prospect of a woolly mammoth again breathing and walking on Earth seems almost within reach. Before fully resurrecting the mammoth, synthetic biologists at the Revive and Restore project are working to resuscitate…

Biology Erin Biba

The First Detailed Study of How Mice Behave in Space Reveals Strange, Coordinated Zooming

New research based on experiments done on the International Space Station shows that mice adapt quickly to microgravity conditions. Unexpectedly, however, some of the mice began to exhibit a rather curious circling behavior, zipping around the walls of their metal cage with reckless abandon. New research published today in Scientific Reports is providing the most…

Biology George Dvorsky

Intricate Skin Impressions Still Visible on ‘Exquisitely Preserved’ Dinosaur Footprints

During the Early Cretaceous, a small two-legged dinosaur walked across a stretch of fine-grained mud following a rainstorm. The resulting footprints became locked in stone, but unlike other fossilized dinosaur tracks, these 120-million-year-old fossils show skin impressions across the entire footprint, in what is considered an unprecedented discovery. Fossilized dinosaur footprints are fairly common in…

Biology George Dvorsky

Unsettling Video Shows What Happens to a Dead Alligator at the Bottom of the Sea

For the first time ever, scientists placed alligator carcasses at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico to see which bottom feeders might make a meal of the dead reptiles. The results came as a surprise even to the researchers. Astounding new video taken at a depth of 2,000 meters (6,650 feet) by a remotely…

Biology George Dvorsky

FDA Warns Virginia Lab for Illegally Marketing Unproven Genetic Tests

A suite of genetic tests used to predict a person’s response to specific medications is being marketed illegally by its manufacturer, Inova Genomics Laboratory, as the tests aren’t backed by scientific data, alleges the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA sent a warning letter to Inova yesterday, advising the Virginia-based medical firm to refrain…

Biology George Dvorsky

Heartbreaking New Observations Suggest Gorillas May Grieve for Their Dead

Wild gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda exhibit a variety of behaviors around dead individuals, according to new research. Behaviors such as grooming, sniffing, and poking the dead, and in one case a young gorilla’s attempt at comfort nursing, suggests these primates, like humans, grieve for their dead. “Humans were once considered…

Biology George Dvorsky

Unknown Species of Ancient Four-Legged Whale Uncovered in Peru

The discovery of a fossilized, 42-million-year-old, four-legged whale is shedding new light on the evolution and geographical spread of these aquatic mammals. The ancestors of modern whales and dolphins evolved from a small, four-limbed hoofed animal that lived in south Asia around 50 million years ago, during the Eocene. Fossil evidence suggests these aquatic mammalian…

Biology George Dvorsky

Scientists Talked to Cats to Figure Out If They Know Their Own Names

Plenty of cat owners will happily tell you their felines are capable of responding to their own names, but the scientific jury remains ambivalent on the matter. A fascinating new experiment suggests this might actually be true for some cats, and it’s a capacity very much tied to the social environment in which the cat…

Biology George Dvorsky

Image: British Pest Control Association/ProFlowers/Ryan F. Mandelbaum

MDMA Made Older Mice Start Socializing Like Teenagers

You might think of young brains as soft clay that can take on new shapes in response to various inputs. But as time passes, the clay hardens and is less workable—and like clay, older brains can be less likely to change in response to new situations. Scientists doing research in mice have realized this analogy…

Biology Ryan F. Mandelbaum

USDA Says It Will Stop Killing Cats

Following the outcry over a disturbing government research practice that resulted in what critics have described as kitten slaughter, a research agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced it will no longer conduct the deadly testing as part of its research. The practice in question was part of testing that’s related to toxoplasmosis…

Biology Catie Keck

Great White Sharks Appear Perfectly Healthy Despite Lead, Arsenic, and Mercury Coursing Through Their Veins

Great white sharks aren’t the unstoppable killing machines of Hollywood’s imagination, but studies have continuously shown that they’re definitely badasses of evolution. A new paper out this week adds to that resume, finding that great whites can easily withstand levels of heavy metals that would kill most other animals, all without any apparent health problems.…

Biology Ed Cara

We Regret to Inform You Elon Musk Has Released a Rap Single About Harambe

If there’s something absolutely no one other than Elon Musk woke up this weekend thinking, it is “Elon Musk should release a rap single about Harambe, the tragically slain gorilla that became a meme nearly three years ago, after which said meme subsequently got treaded into the ground, and more than a few people began…

Biology Tom McKay

Here Is an Important Scientific Study About How Animals Relax

Scientists have determined that the way an animal rests—reclining on its back, sprawling on its belly, standing up, or sitting, is determined by primarily by its size. But more importantly, the study authors have provided a large selection of images of animals luxuriating in various ways, and they are delightful. Scientists agree that rest is…

Biology Ryan F. Mandelbaum

Dogs Detect Seizures by Smelling Them, New Evidence Suggests

Trained assistance dogs have shown that they can sniff out an assortment of diseases, but the canine ability to smell seizures has never been thoroughly examined—nor has the existence of a distinct seizure scent ever been proven. An encouraging new study suggests dogs are indeed capable of the feat—and they’re actually amazing at it. Previous…

Biology George Dvorsky

This Newly Discovered Mastodon Species Roamed California for Millions of Years

If you ponder mammoths, certain species of which died out a mere 3,000 or so years ago, their existence is but a breath away from our own. Echoes of their lives can be seen in today’s elephants, which lumber across our world in ways that might not be so different than their ancient relatives. Mammoths…

Biology Jeanne Timmons

Gene-Editing Record Smashed With Over 13,000 Changes Made to a Single Human Cell

Using a modified version of CRISPR, a team of geneticists has successfully triggered 13,200 genetic changes to a single human cell. That’s a new record, by a long shot. This sweeping new editing process could eventually be used to strip DNA of useless or dangerous genetic information—or create entirely new kinds of life. New research…

Biology George Dvorsky

Scientists Gave Mice a Psychedelic Drug to Figure Out How We Hallucinate

Seeing something that isn’t there can be one of the strangest, frightening, and baffling experiences a person can have. But scientists at the University of Oregon say they’ve come a bit closer to understanding what happens in the brain when we hallucinate—and all they had to do was trip out some poor mice. Given that…

Biology Ed Cara

Gigantic T. Rex Skeleton Found in Canada Is Officially World’s Biggest

Updated measurements of a large fossil found in Saskatchewan nearly 30 years ago confirm it as the world’s largest known Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton. Remarkably, the new work suggests T. rex and other dinosaurs grew to a greater size than is typically appreciated. New research published last week in The Anatomical Record describes “Scotty,” a T.…

Biology George Dvorsky

Scientists Find Huge Trove of Marine Fossils from the ‘Cambrian Explosion’ in China

Scientists have uncovered a wealth of well-preserved fossils in China from the early Cambrian Period, representing 101 species so far, over half of which have never been described before. In 1909, scientists discovered a trove of fossils in British Columbia, known today as the Burgess Shale fossils. These fossils differed from others in that they…

Biology Ryan F. Mandelbaum

Surprise! Sun Bears, Like Dogs and Humans, Mimic Each Other’s Faces

The sun bear, already well-known online for its silly faces, is the first non-primate, non-domesticated animal found to mimic the facial expressions of its playmates. The new research adds complexity to our understanding of the ways animals communicate. Sun bears are normally solitary animals, and are an elusive, difficult-to-study species. This new work from researchers…

Biology Ryan F. Mandelbaum

Scientists Could Soon Resurrect the Woolly Mammoth—but Should They?

The First Detailed Study of How Mice Behave in Space Reveals Strange, Coordinated Zooming

Intricate Skin Impressions Still Visible on ‘Exquisitely Preserved’ Dinosaur Footprints

Unsettling Video Shows What Happens to a Dead Alligator at the Bottom of the Sea

FDA Warns Virginia Lab for Illegally Marketing Unproven Genetic Tests

Heartbreaking New Observations Suggest Gorillas May Grieve for Their Dead

Unknown Species of Ancient Four-Legged Whale Uncovered in Peru

Scientists Talked to Cats to Figure Out If They Know Their Own Names

MDMA Made Older Mice Start Socializing Like Teenagers

USDA Says It Will Stop Killing Cats

Great White Sharks Appear Perfectly Healthy Despite Lead, Arsenic, and Mercury Coursing Through Their Veins

We Regret to Inform You Elon Musk Has Released a Rap Single About Harambe

Here Is an Important Scientific Study About How Animals Relax

Dogs Detect Seizures by Smelling Them, New Evidence Suggests

This Newly Discovered Mastodon Species Roamed California for Millions of Years

Gene-Editing Record Smashed With Over 13,000 Changes Made to a Single Human Cell

Scientists Gave Mice a Psychedelic Drug to Figure Out How We Hallucinate

Gigantic T. Rex Skeleton Found in Canada Is Officially World’s Biggest

Scientists Find Huge Trove of Marine Fossils from the ‘Cambrian Explosion’ in China

Surprise! Sun Bears, Like Dogs and Humans, Mimic Each Other’s Faces

National Film and Sound Archive of Australia Adds ‘Succulent Chinese Meal’ Guy

Feds Sniffing Around Polymarket After Suspicious Bets

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Don’t Get Too Attached to Any AI App

‘Paradise’ Writer Teases What’s Coming in Season 3 After That Huge Twist

Trump’s New White House App Is Mildly Concerning and Weird for a Lot of Reasons

Bloodsucking Ticks Can Survive Inside Your Home Longer Than You Might Think

The Best New Toys of March 2026

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

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