What a reptile’s bones can teach us about Earth’s perilous past
An extinct reptile’s oddly shaped chompers, fingers, and ear bones may tell us quite a bit about the resilience of life on Earth, according...
Life on earth might really have started with clay
In mythologies and origin stories around the world, various cultures and religions point to clay as the vessel of life, the primordial material that...
Why isn’t weed killer working anymore?
Farmers used to worry about weeds.
Then, herbicides solved that problem. At least for a while.
In 1997, there were 432 new patents for herbicides; by...
Why do humans walk upright? The secret is in our pelvis
If evolutionary biologist Terence D. Capellini were to rank the body parts that make us quintessentially human, the pelvis would place close to the...
Why experts say lawns should become a thing of the past
Grass is under siege in the western United States.
A new Las Vegas law requires homeowners to get rid of their lawns by 2027, and...
Light accelerates conductivity in nature’s electric grid
The natural world possesses its own intrinsic electrical grid composed of a global web of tiny bacteria-generated nanowires in the soil and oceans that...
More of Earth’s surface could host life, shows study
Of all known planets, Earth is as friendly to life as any planet could possibly be — or is it? If Jupiter’s orbit changes,...
Chinese astronauts successfully grow rice in space
Rice is one of the world’s staple crops.
It is regularly eaten by more than half the world’s population.
And now, it’s been grown in microgravity,...
Why were reptiles such evolution success story?
It was thought they just got lucky when climate change killed off foes. New study finds they also adapted sooner to rising heat.
Just over...
Scientists find new way to prevent broad range of COVID-19 variants
The virus that causes COVID-19 today is not the same as the one that first sickened people way back in December 2019.
Many of the...