Biology

Awful Tourists Turned Away Nesting Sea Turtles in Costa Rica

Hundreds of thousands of olive ridley sea turtles came ashore on Ostional Beach to lay their eggs, but thousands of tourists were already there, doing nearly everything you’re not supposed to do around a threatened species attempting to reproduce. Photos show the tourists crowding the shoreline so the turtles would have to crawl through the…

British Scientists Seek Permission to Genetically Modify Human Embryos

Just five months after scientists in China made history by modifying the germline of human embryos, a research team in the U.K. is requesting permission to do the same, but strictly for research into infertility. Given recent calls for a moratorium on such research, the decision is likely to set a precedent for future requests.…

Drinking Coffee Late in the Day Will Screw Up Your Internal Clock

It’s no secret that drinking coffee shortly before bedtime disrupts sleep, but a new study suggests that caffeine can actually affect our body’s internal clock, pushing back our natural rhythms by nearly an hour. I’m an avid coffee drinker and a true believer in the positive effects of caffeine, but I impose a strict personal…

Crazy Photo Shows a Seal Using a Whale as a Surfboard

In what appears to be a growing trend among animals these days, a seal was spotted riding on the back of a humpback whale off the coast of Australia’s New South Wales. Top image: ROBYN MALCOLM/DIIMEX.COM The photograph was taken by Robyn Malcolm, who was on a whale watching trip at the time. Image: ROBYN…

Is It Really Okay to Eat Food That’s Fallen on the Floor?

A popular adage states that it’s okay to eat food off the floor if it’s picked up within five seconds. But is it true? A food scientist investigates. This urban food myth contends that if food spends just a few seconds on the floor, dirt and germs won’t have much of a chance to contaminate…

How Plants and Animals Would Colonise an Ice-Free Antarctica

Antarctica’s ice sheets could totally collapse if the world’s fossil fuels are burnt off, according to a recent climate change simulation. While we are unlikely to see such a dramatic event any time soon, we are already observing big changes and it’s worth considering what the worst case scenario might look like for the continent’s…

U.S. Navy Agrees to Create Safe Havens to Protect Marine Mammals From Military Exercises

The U.S. Navy has agreed to set aside vast swaths of ocean territory off the shores of Hawaii and Southern California in an effort to protect sound-sensitive marine mammals from the effects of sonar and powerful explosives used in military exercises. For years, marine biologists have warned about the detrimental effects of high-intensity, mid-frequency sounds…

This Is a Transistor for Living Cells

This is a transistor, but not as you know it. Instead of acting as a tiny switch to control the flow of electrons, this devices controls the flow of living cells. A team of researchers from Duke University and University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill has developed this new device, which trades electrons for cells —that’s…

What Is the Molecular Clock, Exactly?

In the 150 years since Charles Darwin recognised the kinship of all life, scientists have worked to fulfil his dream of a complete Tree of Life. Today, the methods used to trace the evolutionary branches back through time would exceed Darwin’s expectations. Scientists across a range of biological disciplines use a technique called the molecular…

How Vertical Farming is Revolutionizing the Way We Grow Food

Traditional farming is taking a huge toll on the environment—a problem that’s set to worsen due to our ever-growing global population. Yet there are some high-tech solutions. Here’s what you need to know about the burgeoning practice of controlled-environment agriculture and how it’s set to change everything from the foods we eat to the communities…

A photograph of gannets roosting on the edge of a cliff has earned Barrie Williams top prize in this year’s British Wildlife Photography Awards. The stunning photo was captured by the 29-year-old Scot on the Isle of Noss in Shetland. You can see other notable contest entries at The Guardian. Photo credit: Barrie Williams/BWPA

8 Scientific Discoveries That Prove Evolution is Real

When explaining human origins, a staggering 42% of all Americans still ascribe to a creationist interpretation—despite the fact that there’s plenty of evidence to support the theory of natural selection. Here are some of the most potent scientific discoveries that prove Darwin was right. Discovering DNA One of the more remarkable things about On the…

Will Scientists Ever Solve the Mystery of Consciousness?

We still have no idea how the brain produces conscious awareness. In this excellent short video produced by The Economist, various experts are called upon to explain the “hard problem” that is consciousness, and how scientists might solve this profound mystery. For the video, The Economist gathered together an impressive collection of philosophers and scientists,…

Scientists Urge Caution in Wake of “Transmittable” Alzheimer’s Claim

A provocative new paper published in Nature suggests that neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s may be transmissible through certain medical procedures. It’s an alarming claim—but one that will require more proof if it’s to be accepted by the scientific community. Protein Problems To understand how the researchers came to this conclusion it’s important…

What Really Happens When Male Seahorses Are Pregnant

A male seahorse gets pregnant when his mate deposits her as-yet-unfertilized eggs into a pouch on his belly. He fertilizes them, then carries the developing embryos until they’re ready to feed themselves. At which point he forcefully shoots them into the world. But his pouch isn’t just a bag for keeping baby seahorses safe. A…

Chinese Beekeepers Actually Have a Good Reason for Hanging Hundreds of Beehives Off a Cliff

Beekeepers from China’s Hubei province have attached over 700 beehives to the face of a steep cliff in the Shennogjia Forestry Reserve. It’s an awesome—if not intimidating—sight, but it’s an effort to create new habitat for the endangered species. As reported in Xinhua, these beehives were set up by beekeepers on Muyu Village’s Guanmen Mountain,…

HIV Could Be Killing Cells in a Way Scientists Had So Far Not Noticed

Scientists have been conscientiously studying HIV for decades, but now a new study suggests that the virus can infect and kill immune cells in a way that scientists have so far overlooked. New Scientist reports that new research shows the virus is able kill cells by being pumped from one currently infected cell directly into…

The World Is Running Out of an Essential Snakebite Anti-Venom

Doctors Without Borders is warning that global stocks of a critical snakebite treatment are poised to run out next year—a troubling development that could put tens of thousands of lives at risk. The last batch of one of the world’s most effective snakebite treatments, known as Fav-Afrique, is set to expire in June 2016. This…

23 Facts About Your Eyes (And What Can Go Wrong With Them)

Our eyes are a fundamental part of the human sensory system—but they’re complex things that can easily go wrong. Here are 23 facts about your windows to the world, including 11 things that can go horribly wrong. Eight surprising things about eyes Eyebrows: Among the many potential functions of eyebrows, they keep sweat and moisture…

Polar Bears May Survive by Hunting Caribou as Arctic Ice Melts

Polar bears are the furry poster children for the impact of warming Arctic seas, but new research says they may be able adapt and survive the loss of Arctic sea ice by foraging on land. Typically, the polar bears of western Hudson Bay take to the sea ice to hunt ringed seal pups in the…