Uncovering the riches of traditional global medicine
Researchers solve how the kava plant produces its pain-relieving and anti-anxiety molecules, demonstrate an extensible method to scale and optimize production.
Genetic study takes research on sex differences to new heights
Differences in male and female gene expression, including those contributing to height differences, found throughout the body in humans and other mammals.
Featured video: Saving iguanas with science and engineering
Professor Otto Cordero and colleagues ask: Can microbiome engineering make the Galapagos marine iguana more resilient to climate change?
How a declining environment affects populations
Study finds that competition between bacterial species can be upended when conditions deteriorate.
Earliest life may have arisen in ponds, not oceans
Study finds shallow bodies of water were probably more suitable for Earth’s first life forms.
Keeping genetic engineering localized
Researchers are developing a so-called "daisy-chain" gene-drive system that provides controls for genetic engineering of certain populations.
New technique pinpoints milestones in the evolution of bacteria
Results show bacterial genomes provide “shadow history” of animal evolution.
Cracking a tough case
Whitehead Institute and MIT researchers uncover the detailed molecular structure of the sporopollenin polymer, an inert material key for the emergence of land plants.
Surviving one of Earth’s most extreme environments
New research finds a unique component of cell membranes in an archaea species conveys protection against acidic surroundings.
Collaboration to expand the study of microbial oceanography
Simons Foundation-backed CBIOMES brings together researchers in oceanography, statistics, data science, ecology, biogeochemistry, and remote sensing.
Jeff Gore: A physicist exploring population dynamics of microbes
MIT professor sees many “big, deep questions in biology” that benefit from study by both physicists and life scientists.
With The Herman Project, home bakers become citizen scientists
Network tracks the evolution of microbial communities in sourdough starter mixtures shared around the world.
Determining the timing of methanogen evolution
Scientists conclude methane-producing microbes date back 3.5 billion years, supporting the hypothesis that they could have contributed to early global warming.
Scientists find different cell types contain the same enzyme ratios
New discovery suggests that all life may share a common design principle.
New type of virus found in the ocean
The unusual characteristics of these abundant, bacteria-killing viruses could lead to evolutionary insights.