For most of modern history, the story we told about Neanderthals was simple: they were the other guys. Primitive. Separate. Eventually gone, replaced by us Homo sapiens, the smarter, more adaptable species that won the evolutionary race. A cave in... Continue Reading →
On a day named after one of the strangest numbers in physics, the world pauses to celebrate the science that makes your phone, your MRI, and possibly the future of computing tick.
You've probably heard that Alzheimer's involves sticky protein clumps forming in the brain. But here's what scientists have never been able to do, until now: watch it happen in real time. A team at Oregon State University, led by chemistry... Continue Reading →
For nearly a century, the Big Bang has been the leading explanation for how our universe began: a hot, dense state that rapidly expanded into everything we see today. But there’s a problem. When physicists try to rewind the universe... Continue Reading →
When we think about DNA, we usually imagine something static—like a blueprint locked safely inside our cells. But what if that blueprint is constantly moving, reshaping itself, and actively influencing who we are at a cellular level? That’s exactly what... Continue Reading →
A new paper in Molecular Biology and Evolution, published by Oxford University Press, finds that the relatively high rate of Autism-spectrum disorders in humans is likely due to how humans evolved in the past. About one in 31 (3.2%) children in the... Continue Reading →
The researchers found that patients receiving the treatment experienced 75% less progression of the disease overall, compared to a matched cohort of people with Huntington’s who were not receiving the treatment. This is the first time a drug trial has... Continue Reading →
Ingredients of our daily diet – including caffeine – can influence the resistance of bacteria to antibiotics. This has been shown in a new study by a team of researchers at the Universities of Tübingen and Würzburg led by Professor Ana... Continue Reading →
On September 14, 2015, a signal arrived on Earth, carrying information about a pair of remote black holes that had spiraled together and merged. The signal had traveled about 1.3 billion years to reach us at the speed of light—but... Continue Reading →
Scents of Science 