How Intricate Patterns Grow in Flowers, Feathers
May 1, 2013
How does a growing flower bud or feather follicle know where to put the intricate colors and patterns on a mature flower or feather? Scientists are beginning to get partial answers.
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Biomimetics Roundup
April 20, 2013
Here's a quick rundown of news on new technologies emerging from the study of plants, animals, and cells.
What's New in the Primordial Soup?
April 19, 2013
The bubbling froth percolates with ideas about how life "emerged," each new notion trying to outdo the last in vacuity.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This "Evolution" Is Not Darwinian
February 23, 2013
Some things in nature get attributed to Darwinian evolution, but might be better seen as manifestations of design or other alternative, non-Darwinian mechanisms.
What Do a Toucan, an Oyster and a Spider Have in Common? Bio-Engineers' Drool
February 17, 2013
If we want to build more robust, lightweight materials, two researchers say, look to nature.
Divining Darwin's Tree Is a Never-Ending Task
February 15, 2013
Some scientific papers brag that Darwin's universal tree of life is coming into sharper focus, but as the data increase, so do the problems.
OOL Follies: Evolutionists Ignore the Obvious Questions
February 13, 2013
In origin-of-life (OOL) research, any partial solution seems good enough, even if the big questions go unanswered.
Make Like a Firefly
January 24, 2013
Biomimetics puts a new meaning into "Make like a tree." Yes, make things like trees, snails, fireflies, and a thousand other creatures do, and life can be inspiring.
Ferrari-Like Gears Move Your Muscles
January 20, 2013
A creative science reporter compares the "gears" of molecular motors in your muscle cells to those of high-performance cars.
Human Genome in Meltdown
January 11, 2013
Most of the deleterious mutations in the human population arose in the last 5,000 to 10,000 years, a survey claims.