Society for Science & the Public, which publishes Science News, uses cookies to personalize your experience and improve our services. For more information on how we use cookies on our websites, visit our Cookie Policy.

Amy Maxmen

All Stories by Amy Maxmen

  1. Life

    Animal origins shift to comb jellies

    Genetic data confirm the marine predators have more ancient origin than simpler sponges.

  2. Animals

    Evolutionary enigmas

    Comb jelly genetics suggest a radical redrawing of the tree of life.

  3. Life

    How the snake got its fangs

    A study of snake embryos suggests that fangs evolved once, then moved around in the head to give today’s snakes a variety of bites.

  4. Health & Medicine

    Location matters

    Scientists find the role of dopamine varies from one end of a brain region to another.

  5. Health & Medicine

    Sick and down

  6. Animals

    Live fast, die young

    With a lifespan of just five months, the chameleon Furcifer labordi leads a briefer life than any other land-dwelling vertebrate.

  7. Health & Medicine

    Curative leaf

  8. Life

    When cells go quiet

    Connections between nerve cells may be lost when communication between the cells lapses.

  9. Health & Medicine

    Where funny faces come from

    Making a face might have helped human ancestors survive.

  10. Archaeology

    Resurrection of a biblical tree

    Date palm pit found at Masada sprouts at age 2,000, becoming the oldest known seed to germinate.

  11. Health & Medicine

    Seeing disease’s acidic side

    Small tumors can be detected using a new technique that safely, reliably and noninvasively measures tissue chemistry.

  12. Life

    Simple body, complex blueprints

    Genes key to the development of modern animals' body plans show up in primitive-looking comb jellies.