A genetic mutation possibly linked to malarial resistance may have helped drive the evolution of the genus Homo, humans’ ancient ancestor, a new study finds.
Amateur cave explorers have found a new family of spiders in the Siskiyou Mountains of Southern Oregon, and scientists have dubbed it Trogloraptor — Latin for cave robber — for their fearsome front claws. The spelunkers sent specimens to the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, which has the West Coast’s largest collection of…
Physically fit frogs have faster-changing genomes, according to a study of poison frogs from Central and South America. Stretches of DNA generally accumulate changes over time, but the rate at which this occurs varies between species. Biologists have, in the past, tried to explain why some species have faster-changing genomes than others by focusing on…
Widely accepted theories of dark matter, a mysterious invisible substance that can only be detected indirectly by the gravitational force it exerts, expect the solar neighborhood to be filled with the stuff – but it isn’t, at least as far as can be detected. This extra ingredient in the cosmos was originally suggested to explain…
Researchers announced they have found that a starvation hormone markedly extends life span in mice without the need for calorie restriction. “Restricting food intake has been shown to extend lifespan in several different kinds of animals. In our study, we found transgenic mice that produced more of the hormone fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF21) got the…
Researchers at Rice University and Penn State University have discovered that adding a dash of boron to carbon while creating nanotubes turns them into solid, spongy, reusable blocks that have an astounding ability to absorb oil spilled in water. That’s one of a range of potential innovations for the material created in a single step….
IN 1982, polls showed that 44 percent of Americans believed God had created human beings in their present form. Thirty years later, the fraction of the population who are creationists is 46 percent. In 1989, when “climate change” had just entered the public lexicon, 63 percent of Americans understood it was a problem. Almost 25…