Extreme Transsexuals In The Bug World

Extreme Transsexuals In The Bug World

Who knew that the sex lives of African bat bugs could be so interesting? Males with female genitalia, female bugs with 'paragenitals' on their abdomens that guide the males to the right spot by…
First DNA-Enzyme Interaction: In Real-Time Video

First DNA-Enzyme Interaction: In Real-Time Video

For the first time scientists have been able to film, in real time, the nanoscale interaction of an enzyme and a DNA strand from an attacking virus. Researchers from the University of Cambridge have…
Worried About Cancer?  Blame JAK

Worried About Cancer? Blame JAK

Cancer-causing genes can work in more powerful and sneaky ways than have been realized. Scientists have shown that a gene named JAK that is closely related to a common cancer-causing gene in people…
Why Does My Baby Have A Tail?

Why Does My Baby Have A Tail?

As I’m having a baby my mind has recently been turned to thoughts of the very weird and wonderful world of developmental biology. As a new parent tracks the progress of their child, you can’t help…
Peat Protects Permafrost

Peat Protects Permafrost

Peat and vegetation in northern areas may help protect permafrost from the effects of climate change, according to a recent study by McMaster researchers published in Geophysical Research Letters.…
Like That Manly Smell?  It May Be Your Genes

Like That Manly Smell? It May Be Your Genes

Androstenone is a derivative of testosterone that is a potent ingredient in male body odor. To some it smells like stale urine, others find it sweet and pleasant. Some can't smell it at all.…
How Accurate is Epidemiology?

How Accurate is Epidemiology?

Because Gary Taubes is probably the country’s best health journalist, his article in today’s NY Times Magazine (”Do We Really Know What Makes Us Healthy?”) about the perils of epidemiology especially…
Ornithologists Count Birds To Show Global Warming

Ornithologists Count Birds To Show Global Warming

If you've ever watched birds at a feeder, you've seen changes in how many birds feed from season to seasons and year to year. Do some of the long-term shifts reflect changes in the environment and…
China's soot heating Pacific region, Western USA

China's soot heating Pacific region, Western USA

Easily 40 percent of the observed atmospheric warming in the Pacific is due to the shroud of soot drifting eastward from Asia. Prof. V. Ramanathan and fellow researchers are reporting that soot's 2.5…
Online Gaming Promotes Social Interaction

Online Gaming Promotes Social Interaction

Online multiplayer communities are social networks built around multiplayer online computer games. Members of these communities typically share an interest in online gaming and a great deal of the…