Coelacanth: Making the Most of an Unevolved Fish
April 18, 2013
The coelacanth genome has been sequenced. Does it show evidence for evolution? Only to those with a good imagination.
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Wood You Cellulose for Starch?
April 17, 2013
Cellulose is the most abundant biomolecule, but how it's made still baffles scientists. Soon, though, you may be able to eat it.
Divorce Spats Between Lucy and Designated Replacement
April 15, 2013
Lucy was the darling of the 1980s, but with Australopithecus sediba taking center stage, her fans are not happy.
Human and Animal Brains: Uniquenesses and Similarities
April 12, 2013
Several recent science articles explore what we have in common with animals, and what is unique about the human brain.
Intact Protein Remnants Found in Dinosaur Eggs
April 10, 2013
A new record for soft tissue in a dinosaur fossil was reported in Nature: collagen in dinosaur eggs from the early Jurassic.
The Hunt for Selection in the Genes
April 9, 2013
One might think that 154 years after Darwin's book about it, natural selection would be empirically obvious. The journal Nature went on a search for it in DNA.
Laughing Matters
April 8, 2013
Why is it that scientists need to investigate "the evolutionary origins" of anything humans do?
Of Hagfish, Geckos and Dragonflies
April 4, 2013
Some of the most unlikely creatures are making headlines because of their potential for advancing technology.
Before the Cock Crows, the Biological Clock Strikes
March 30, 2013
At Easter time, people recall the story of Peter denying Jesus three times before the rooster crowed. Some scientists tried to figure out what clicks the rooster's clock alarm.
Scientific Findings Can Be Counterintuitive
March 28, 2013
Here are examples of recent claims in science that seem to contradict what some would consider intuitively obvious. They should be kept in mind when evaluating other scientific truisms, like evolution.
Biomimetics Matching Game
March 27, 2013
Try your hand at matching the organism with the new technology being developed from its design.
Evolution Is Not Just Change or Similarity
March 23, 2013
Many scientific findings get labeled with "evolution" even though neo-Darwinism has nothing to do with them.
OOLishness: The Imaginary World of Origin-of-Life Studies
March 20, 2013
Why aren't philosophers of science shaming origin-of-life researchers out of the science department? OOL theories depend on imagination, not empirical evidence, for their broad-brush conclusions.
Gold, Earthquakes, and Time
March 17, 2013
How long does it take to form veins of gold in the rock? (a) millions of years; (b) less than a second.
Nature Writer Points to Mao as Source of Wisdom
March 15, 2013
Are there any circumstances in which it would be appropriate to honor Chairman Mao as a source of wisdom?