A Fair Society Evolves From “Veil of Ignorance” – Mongooses Solve Inequality Problem
A fair society has evolved in banded mongooses because parents don’t know which pups are their own, new research shows. Mothers in banded mongoose groups…
Developmental Biology
Solving a Long-Standing Biological Mystery: How Cells Measure Themselves
Ever since scientists discovered cells under the microscope more than 350 years ago, they have noted that each type of cell has a characteristic size….
Coelacanths – Enormous Fish That Live Deep in the Ocean – May Live Nearly a Century
Coelacanths may live five times longer than researchers expected. Once thought to be extinct, lobe-finned coelacanths are enormous fish that live deep in the ocean….
Unlocking the Mysteries of Human Development: Key Molecular Events in the Developing Human Embryo Identified
Researchers Identify Trigger for “Head-to-Tail” Axis Development in Human Embryo Scientists have identified key molecular events in the developing human embryo between days 7 and…
Genetic Mutation Reveals Surprising Role of Bioelectricity in Early Brain Formation
A mutation in four children with polymicrogyria illuminates the role of bioelectricity in early brain development. In polymicrogyria, the cortex of the brain has many…
Japanese Rice Fish Model of a Rare Human Metabolic Disorder
Human cells are kept healthy by the activity of millions of proteins. These proteins are modified in different ways, such as by adding sugar molecules…
Embryos of Many Species Use Sound to Prepare for the Outside World – Hear Nile Crocodile Embryos Before Hatching
It’s well known that reptiles depend on temperature cues while in the egg to determine a hatchling’s sex. Now, researchers writing in the journal Trends in…
Rare Genetic Neurological Disease Caused by Mutations in Protein That Controls RNA Metabolism
In a paper published today in Nature Communications, an international group of collaborators led by researchers at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh have identified a…
Fascinating or Horrifying? Scientists Create Human-Monkey Chimeric Embryos
Investigators in China and the United States have injected human stem cells into primate embryos and were able to grow chimeric embryos for a significant…
Revolutionary Research: Scientists Create First Model of an Early Human Embryo From Skin Cells
For first time, fibroblast-derived model of early embryo will allow extensive study into causes of very early miscarriage and effects of toxins and drugs on…
Scientists Surprised by Sea Slugs That Sever Their Own Heads and Regrow Brand-New Bodies
You’ve heard of animals that can lose and then regenerate a tail or limb. But scientists reporting in the journal Current Biology today (March 8, 2021)…
Scientists Uncover the Key to Proper Muscle Growth
Three oscillating proteins cause new muscle cells to emerge from muscle stem cells in a balanced manner. In a paper being published in the journal…
Lower Testosterone During Puberty Increases the Brain’s Sensitivity to the Sex Hormone in Adulthood
For men with lower levels during puberty, higher testosterone increases brain response to faces. Young men with lower testosterone levels throughout puberty become more sensitive…
Genomic Study Reveals Evolutionary Secrets of Banyan Tree and a Wasp That Coevolved With It
The banyan fig tree Ficus microcarpa is famous for its aerial roots, which sprout from branches and eventually reach the soil. The tree also has…
A Major Malformation Illustrates the Incredible Plasticity of the Human Brain
People born without a corpus callosum do not have a bridge between the two cerebral hemispheres. Neuroscientists from UNIGE have shown how the brain manages…
Scientists Warn: Chemicals in Your Living Room Cause Diabetes
Mice develop diabetes after exposure through mothers. A new UC Riverside study shows flame retardants found in nearly every American home cause mice to give…
When New Males Take Over, These Female Primates Hurry Up and Sexually Mature
Most mammals — including humans and other primates — reach sexual maturity early or late depending on lots of different factors, such as how much…
Heat Stress Damages Sperm and Fertility – Now Scientists Know Why
Project using roundworms uncovers a mechanism that leads to male infertility caused by high temperatures. University of Oregon biologists have used the model organism Caenorhabditis…