Biology

Meet the only known reptile with a true placenta

When many of us think of reptiles we immediately envision them as egg-laying creatures, but there are some reptiles that actually give birth to live young. All of the reptiles in this second category possess a rudimentary placenta (the vascular tissue which, in mammals, nourishes unborn offspring), but until recenty, not one of them was…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Woman nearly dies from allergic reaction to sexually-transmitted brazil nuts

Beware nut allergists! If you pick up people in high-class bars that have real mixed nuts, be sure to use protection! Doctors have documented a case of a 20-year-old woman whose nut allergy was triggered after her partner had eaten the nuts just before they had been intimate – making the Brazil nut the world’s…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

Are all artificial sweeteners equal?

You’re at the communal coffee pot at the office. You take a pink packet one day, a blue packet the next. You tried the towering cylinder of table sugar that’s next to the bowl of packets, but you can never get enough in your Styrofoam cup to make your coffee sweet. And the calories, don’t…

io9 Keith Veronese

Chlamydia infects your cells with a Trojan Horse

Chlamydia trachomatis is a frighteningly accomplished human pathogen. It’s the most frequently reported bacterial STD in the United States, the number one cause of acquired blindness in developing countries, and the leading cause of infertility in the Western world. And yet, many of the molecular mechanisms by which chlamydia spreads remain poorly understood. Now, a…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Pale-skinned people need more vitamin D than their bodies can actually make

If you’re one of those northern European types who burns when they so much as look at the sky, then bad news — you may need to get more vitamin D then you can safely gather from the sun. Alternatively: good news! You don’t need to go in the sun to get vitamin D anymore!…

io9 Tim Barribeau

This fish may be humanity’s one connection with our sea-dwelling past

Lungfish are a peculiar type of fish that can survive for an extended period on land. Using their pectoral fins to propel themselves, they can gulp air and live for some time out of the water — and they’re the sole surviving creature that could explain how we evolved to leave the oceans. The ancestors…

io9 Tim Barribeau

Some people are just born thin

Too thin? Blame your parents. Now there’s evidence that inherited genes can make you skinny — just as there is evidence for inherited obesity. While most of the research into body fat so far has been into the genetic causes of obesity there’s now strong evidence that it goes the other way too. The research…

io9 Tim Barribeau

Meet the ancestor of all living things on Earth

The Last Universal Common Ancestor is the great-grandparent of everything that has ever lived on Earth. Scientists had long assumed it was a crude, simple thing, more a chemical mishmash than anything else. But our earliest ancestor holds some surprises. Known as LUCA for short, it’s hard to even know how to describe this…thing. For…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Machines that let you observe and manipulate a single biological molecule

Have you ever wondered how an individual molecule really behaves? Recent advances funded by the NIH and NSF have helped us reach the point where scientists can observe individual molecules act when they are isolated from other molecules. Let’s take a look at a revolutionary and new way to perform scientific experiments. How do single…

io9 Keith Veronese

Secret agents of the future could use bacteria to send hidden messages

Ready for a piece of technology you can rampantly steal for NaNoWriMo? How about secretly encoded E. coli that glow and can be used to send messages? Researchers have developed a way of getting seven strains of the bacteria to fluoresce in seven different colors. You can use them to create a secret message that…

io9 Tim Barribeau

How fruit flies control their own immune systems with a song

Humans aren’t the only animals that have to guard against potential infection during sex. Fruit flies are at greatly increased risk of infection during their mating season, which is why the male’s mating call actually boosts the female’s immune system. Researchers at the University of St. Andrews played recordings of male mating calls for a…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Southern United States Invaded by “Hairy, Crazy Ants” that Attack Electrical Systems

They can’t be stopped with conventional pesticide. They can disable a huge industrial plant, and they short out electrical equipment. They eat animals as well as plants. Kill 100,000, and a million more ants will follow. They’re the “hairy, crazy ants,” and they’re overrunning Texas, Mississippi, Florida and Louisiana. So many of these biting ants…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

The earliest public health initiatives included inoculation via scabs and sea-sponge toilet paper

Public health initiatives have been a major benefit of living in the 20th and 21st centuries. They’ve spared many of us from terrible communicable diseases, ensured we live past childhood, and helped cause human life expectancy to increase by 18 years worldwide in the past 50 years alone. The idea of the public health initiative…

io9 Keith Veronese

Behold the first movie ever made for chimpanzees

Primate Cinema: Apes as Family is an intriguing new art installation currently being shown in the UK. Half of it represents a human’s attempt to make a movie specifically for chimps… while the other half shows how chimpanzees react to it. Los Angeles based artist Rachel Mayeri is behind the dual-screen installation, which juxtaposes her…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Science proves that most wolves are lazy jerks

The wolf pack seems like the perfect example of how unity can provide strength, of how fierce and often vicious hunters can work together for the common good. Unfortunately, that’s a big lie. Turns out many wolves are freeloading bums. At least, that’s what researchers from the University of Minnesota discovered when they examined the…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Ant colonies are home to endless insect civil wars

The ant species Leptothorax acervorum is found throughout the Northern hemisphere. While many populations have multiple queens, a few have only one queen that reproduces. And in those societies, queens and workers alike viciously fight for ant dominance. Researchers from Germany’s University of Regensburg examined a Leptothorax acervorum colony in Spain. They found that only…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Koalas use uniquely human-like voice box for giant mating calls

If koalas have any reputation at all, it’s as quiet, cute marsupials that spend all their time eating eucalyptus. But male koalas unleash loud, deep yells that sound like the mating call of some massive beast. That’s exactly the point. The males issue forth this deep bellow during mating season, which gave biologists a pretty…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Watch surfers ride neon blue bioluminescent waves caused by red tide

On the beaches of Southern California, a phytoplankton called Lingulodinium polyedrum is responsible for a spate of red tide. Massive algal blooms like this make the water ruddy during the day, but disrupting the microorganisms at night results in bursts of electric blue bioluminescence. Says Scripps Institution of Oceanography Professor Dr. Peter Franks of this…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar

Marmosets can meditate (and are immune to the placebo effect)

Scientists have trained monkeys to meditate with marshmallows. This is a gift from both the comedy and the alliteration gods, but it’s also a valuable medical technique. Every day monkeys show us new abilities and talents. Sometimes it’s stockpiling rocks to make arsenals, (as demonstrated by a macaque in captivity). Recently, it has been becoming…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

Why does eating a spoonful of this powder turn sourness to sweetness?

Miraculin is a special protein that makes people perceive sour tastes as sweetness instead. At least, for a limited time. Now we know why it works. Taste adventurers will be interested in a little chemical named miraculin. It was used in West Africa as a way of making some meals more palatable. A small red…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

Meet the only known reptile with a true placenta

Woman nearly dies from allergic reaction to sexually-transmitted brazil nuts

Are all artificial sweeteners equal?

Chlamydia infects your cells with a Trojan Horse

Pale-skinned people need more vitamin D than their bodies can actually make

This fish may be humanity’s one connection with our sea-dwelling past

Some people are just born thin

Meet the ancestor of all living things on Earth

Machines that let you observe and manipulate a single biological molecule

Secret agents of the future could use bacteria to send hidden messages

How fruit flies control their own immune systems with a song

Southern United States Invaded by “Hairy, Crazy Ants” that Attack Electrical Systems

The earliest public health initiatives included inoculation via scabs and sea-sponge toilet paper

Behold the first movie ever made for chimpanzees

Science proves that most wolves are lazy jerks

Ant colonies are home to endless insect civil wars

Koalas use uniquely human-like voice box for giant mating calls

Watch surfers ride neon blue bioluminescent waves caused by red tide

Marmosets can meditate (and are immune to the placebo effect)

Why does eating a spoonful of this powder turn sourness to sweetness?

No More Cheese Grater: The Mac Pro Is Discontinued

Even the ‘Avatar’ Fighting Game Is Disrespecting ‘Legend of Korra’

Bluesky Has a New App, and It’s All About AI

Dammit, Jim, He’s a Doctor And an Action Figure!

Whatever Just Happened with ‘Fruit Love Island,’ Nobody Won

AMC Puts a Stake in ‘Talamasca’ After One Season

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

2027 Is Shaping Up to Be a Great Year for Big Sci-Fi RPGs

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

Nintendo’s Talking Flower Is Annoying as Hell. I Love It

Let us help find what you are looking for...

Biology

Meet the only known reptile with a true placenta

Woman nearly dies from allergic reaction to sexually-transmitted brazil nuts

Are all artificial sweeteners equal?

Chlamydia infects your cells with a Trojan Horse

Pale-skinned people need more vitamin D than their bodies can actually make

This fish may be humanity’s one connection with our sea-dwelling past

Some people are just born thin

Meet the ancestor of all living things on Earth

Machines that let you observe and manipulate a single biological molecule

Secret agents of the future could use bacteria to send hidden messages

How fruit flies control their own immune systems with a song

Southern United States Invaded by “Hairy, Crazy Ants” that Attack Electrical Systems

The earliest public health initiatives included inoculation via scabs and sea-sponge toilet paper

Behold the first movie ever made for chimpanzees

Science proves that most wolves are lazy jerks

Ant colonies are home to endless insect civil wars

Koalas use uniquely human-like voice box for giant mating calls

Watch surfers ride neon blue bioluminescent waves caused by red tide

Marmosets can meditate (and are immune to the placebo effect)

Why does eating a spoonful of this powder turn sourness to sweetness?

No More Cheese Grater: The Mac Pro Is Discontinued

Even the ‘Avatar’ Fighting Game Is Disrespecting ‘Legend of Korra’

Bluesky Has a New App, and It’s All About AI

Dammit, Jim, He’s a Doctor *And* an Action Figure!

Whatever Just Happened with ‘Fruit Love Island,’ Nobody Won

AMC Puts a Stake in ‘Talamasca’ After One Season

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

2027 Is Shaping Up to Be a Great Year for Big Sci-Fi RPGs

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

Nintendo’s Talking Flower Is Annoying as Hell. I Love It

Let us help find what you are looking for...

Dammit, Jim, He’s a Doctor And an Action Figure!