Biology

A research team in Canada has tested the use of environmental DNA to ease the process of identifying and surveying aquatic plants.

• By Sue Palminteri

Male and female students in an introductory biology class performed better when there were more women in their study group.

• By Tom Jacobs

Scientists are studying people afflicted with Williams syndrome to figure out the biological basis for our behaviors.

• By Yewande Pearse

Researchers have discovered a new organism that has no known evolutionary relatives, causing them to reconsider how genes evolve.

• By Melanie Silvis

Two biologists are working on a moonshot project to identify and map every cell inside of us.

• By Josh Peters

Business and biology majors tend to be in strong physical shape a quarter-century after graduation. Psychology majors, not so much.

• By Tom Jacobs

The fish, called O'opu, have developed the ingenious ability to climb hundreds of feet up the side of waterfalls in order to breed.

• By Alison Nugent

Numerous species are evolving to cope with the dirge of pollutants put into the world by human beings, and it's taking a toll.

• By Brittney Borowiec

When the Nobel committees ignore women who do Nobel-caliber science, the awards deserve to lose their relevance.

• By Michael White

The extinction crisis extends far beyond rare and endangered species.

• By J.B. MacKinnon

Four crucial facts about race, sex, and biology that contradict this messy argument.

• By Michael White

While social scientists should continue to study the social meaning of race, the concept has no place in biology, scientists argue.

• By Nathan Collins

Is a better understanding of biology something your child can pick up from being around dogs and cats?

• By Zazie Todd

We all carry genetic mutations, and new studies are revealing their impact.

• By Michael White

Both women and orcas experience menopause. A new study reveals one reason why these matriarchs may prevail, despite their inability to reproduce: wisdom.

• By Becca Cudmore

But the research is helping us to accept the role that biology plays in our lives and our society.

• By Michael White

Even if you live in an urban environment, taking some time to correct for plant blindness can provide many benefits, both physical and psychological.

• By Nyree Zerega

Bioethicists, geneticists, attorneys, and cops weigh the pros and cons of a radical new science.

• By Lauren Kirchner

Biologists have been working for decades on cancer research—and they’re making progress. But to really stand a chance against this aggressive disease, we should focus on more interdisciplinary collaboration.

• By Claudia Fischbach

We should re-think the subject boundaries in high school education so that they align with important ideas and concepts that will give our children useful analytical lenses for viewing the world.

• By Eric Horowitz

DNA doesn't determine race. Society does.

• By Michael White

Sorry, amateur biohackers.

• By Michael White

There have always been limitations to experiments done on mice, but new technology, which allows scientists to replace mouse genes with human genes, could clear the way for new ground to be broken.

• By Michael White

In an experiment, scientists found a correlation between low blood glucose and higher levels of spousal frustration.

• By John Upton