How gut microbes may have helped shape the human brain
Why do humans have such large and powerful brains compared with other primates?
A new study suggests part of the answer may lie not in...
When humans disappeared, these birds evolved different beaks
When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the UCLA campus, students weren’t the only ones affected.
A small brown bird called the dark-eyed junco also felt...
How ants could inspire the next generation of antibiotics
As hospitals around the world struggle with dangerous drug-resistant infections, scientists are increasingly looking to nature for solutions.
Surprisingly, one promising source may be crawling...
Ancient “living rocks” absorb carbon day and night in South Africa
Along the coast of South Africa, strange rocky formations quietly grow in places where life seems unlikely to survive.
These structures, known as microbialites, look...
Beyond “junk DNA”: Scientists find a hidden gene that controls cell size
Every cell in our body has a “just right” size.
If cells grow too large or too small, the consequences can be serious, contributing to...
Why brown bears in central Italy are smaller and calmer than anywhere else
Living close to humans doesn’t just change landscapes—it can also change animals themselves.
A new genetic study shows that brown bears living near villages in...
A year that mattered: Caltech’s scientific journey in 2025
Caltech is a place unlike any other, an Institute that is truly "small but mighty."
Its small size and the expertise of its community enable...
Why city raccoons rarely cross the road
Raccoons have a reputation for being curious, clever, and fearless, especially in cities where they rummage through trash cans and explore human spaces.
But new...
Scientists create powerful new tool to explore the microbial universe
Microbes are everywhere. They live in our bodies, in soil, in the oceans, and even in the air we breathe.
These microscopic organisms play a...
Starving penguins off South Africa face a devastating 95% decline, study finds
African penguins living off the coast of South Africa have suffered a catastrophic population collapse over the past two decades, largely because they have...