Biology
The Day of the Dead in Mexico is a celebration for the 5 senses
Mexicans are celebrating Day of the Dead, an intangible tradition borne down from pre-Hispanic cultures that is also a celebration for all the senses.
Science paints a new picture of the ancient past, when we mixed and mated with other kinds of humans
The science of human evolution has made big leaps in recent years, and it’s painting a new picture of our origins.
Gator with missing nose and upper jaw finds new home in Florida reptile park
A Florida reptile park has taken in an alligator that lost its nose and upper jaw to a fight or boat propeller.
Ian Wilmut, a British scientist who led the team that cloned Dolly the Sheep, dies at age 79
The British scientist who led the team that cloned Dolly the Sheep in 1996 has died at age 79. The Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh announced Ian Wilmut’s death.
Who’s that singing? As fall migration arrives, apps that ID birds by sound have taken off
For many bird watchers — novices and experts alike — this fall’s migration will have a soundtrack. Merlin, from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, is just one popular and free app that can identify birds just by their sound.
Russian geneticist gets probation for DNA smuggling. Discovery of vials prompted alarm at airport
A Russian geneticist living in Virginia has been sentenced to probation in federal court after pleading guilty to smuggling test tubes with DNA from endangered species into the U.S.
High ocean temperatures are harming the Florida coral reef. Rescue crews are racing to help
In a race against time, multiple organizations are working to save the reef that runs along the Florida Keys during a heat wave that has already led to historic coral bleaching.
Even frozen Antarctica is being walloped by climate extremes, scientists find
A new study concludes that Antarctica is already being and will continue to be affected by more frequent and severe extreme weather events, a known byproduct of human-caused climate change.
The extreme heat in Phoenix is withering some of its famed saguaro cactuses, with no end in sight
Phoenix this week climbed back up to dangerously high temperatures. That means trouble not just for people but for some plants, too.
The heaviest animal ever may be this ancient whale found in the Peruvian desert
A newly studied species of ancient whale might be the heaviest animal ever found. Scientists reported Wednesday that the creature could challenge the blue whale’s title as the heaviest animal to live on Earth.
A new millipede species is crawling under LA. It’s blind, glassy and has 486 legs
An American metropolis known for freeways and traffic has a newly discovered species named in its honor: The Los Angeles Thread Millipede.
Here’s how the desert city of Phoenix copes with summer heat
This summer’s punishing heat wave has baked much of the U.S. in sweat-soaked misery. The country’s preeminent desert city has long sweltered through such brutal heat.
Scientists use stem cells to create models of human embryos and study our earliest days
Scientists have created embryo models to help study the mysteries of early human development, the medical problems that happen before birth and why many pregnancies fail.
To fight berry-busting fruit flies, researchers focus on sterilizing the bugs
New research from North Carolina State University offers some hope to fruit growers who have struggled with a damaging fruit fly.
Field Museum debuts Spinosaurus exhibit featuring largest predatory dinosaur
CHICAGO (AP) — The newest addition to the Field Museum on Chicago’s lakefront will give visitors a glimpse of the largest predatory dinosaur yet discovered via a 46-foot (14.02 meter) cast of a Spinosaurus skeleton suspended high above the museum’s main hall.
Flower power and diplomacy: Versailles perfume gardens transport public back in time
VERSAILLES, France (AP) — The Versailles flower gardens were once a symbol of the French king’s expeditionary might and helped water-deprived courtiers perfume their skin.
DNA project gives scientists diverse genome for comparison
For two decades, scientists have been comparing every person’s genetic blueprint they study to a template that relies mostly on just one man.
Zoonomia: Genetic research reveals all we share with animals
Scientists from around the world are comparing the genetic blueprints of an array of animals to gain new insights into our own species. It’s called the Zoonomia Project.
In Bahamas, conch fishing is way of life. But for how long?
The potential loss of conch in the Bahamas reflects the threat overfishing poses around the world to traditional foods.
Elephant in the dining room: Startup makes mammoth meatball
An Australian company has lifted the glass cloche on a meatball made of lab-grown cultured meat using the genetic sequence from the long-extinct mammoth.
Scientists create mice with cells from 2 males for 1st time
Scientists have created baby mice with two fathers for the first time by turning male mouse stem cells into female cells in a lab.
How this little see-through fish gets its rainbow shimmer
Scientists have figured out what makes a small see-through fish sometimes shimmer in the light. In a study published Monday, they say the key is in the muscles of the fish from Thailand, called a ghost catfish.
Did dioxins spread after the Ohio train derailment?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is ordering rail operator Norfolk Southern to begin testing for dioxins in the area where a train carrying toxic chemicals in Ohio.
For man behind gene-edited babies, a rocky return to science
Five years ago, scientist He Jiankui shocked the world with claims that he created the first genetically edited babies.
Did dioxins spread after the Ohio train derailment?
U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown and J.D. Vance sent a letter to the directors of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency last week asking why it was not testing for dioxins, a harmful suite of chemicals the senators claimed got into the air in East Palestine when officials burned off the vinyl chloride
A few poems Maine Gov. Janet Mills wrote over the years
Men running for office
Don’t feed the bears! But birds OK, new Tahoe research shows
Wildlife biologists and forest rangers at Lake Tahoe and across the West have been preaching the mantra for decades: Don’t feed the bears!
Pretty but toxic: Watch toddlers around these houseplants
When visiting friends or family who have both houseplants and young children, I’ve been compared to “Aunt Bonnie” from the Geico commercial “Aunt Infestation.”
Making pig livers humanlike in quest to ease organ shortage
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) — The ghostly form floating in a large jar had been the robust reddish-brown of a healthy organ just hours before.
Forest lizards genetically morph to survive life in the city
U.S. scientists in Puerto Rico have found that forest-dwelling lizards have genetically morphed to survive life in the city.
NMSU, Los Alamos unite on research of migratory bird die-off
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Two years after New Mexico saw migratory birds literally falling from the sky, New Mexico State University and Los Alamos National Laboratory have announced plans to establish a research program on bird die-off.