News
- Paleontology
Oldest microfossils suggest life thrived on Earth about 4 billion years ago
A new claim for the oldest microfossils on Earth suggests that life may have originated in hydrothermal vents, but some scientists have doubts.
- Health & Medicine
DNA may offer rapid road to Zika vaccine
Researchers are pursuing multiple vaccine strategies for blocking Zika infection.
- Life
Bacteria genes offer new strategy for sterilizing mosquitoes
Two genes in Wolbachia bacteria could be used to sterilize mosquitoes that transmit Zika.
- Earth
Newly identified continent Zealandia faces a battle for recognition
Geologists make the case for a new continent, dubbed Zealandia, found largely submerged beneath the southwestern Pacific Ocean.
- Animals
Score! Bumblebees see how to sink ball in goal, then do it better
A first lesson in six-legged soccer tests bumblebees’ ability to learn.
- Life
Bacteria’s amyloids display surprising structure
Protein clusters made by Staphylococcus aureus bacteria have a surprising new structure.
- Health & Medicine
Questions remain about the benefits of taking testosterone
For men with low testosterone, the pros and cons of taking hormone replacement therapy are mixed.
- Astronomy
Seven Earth-sized planets orbit nearby supercool star
A planetary system called TRAPPIST-1 has seven Earth-sized planets, three in the habitable zone, researchers report.
- Anthropology
Power may have passed via women in ancient Chaco Canyon society
DNA points to a 330-year-long reign of a maternal dynasty centered in New Mexico’s Chaco Canyon.
- Anthropology
Low-status chimps revealed as trendsetters
Outranked chimpanzees trigger spread of useful new behaviors among their comrades.
- Plants
Enzymes aid rice plants’ arsenic defenses
Rice plant roots have natural defenses against arsenic.
- Microbes
Microbes survived inside giant cave crystals for up to 50,000 years
Microbes trapped in crystals in Mexico's Naica mine may represent some of the most distinct life-forms found in Earth so far.
