Tag: Biology
-
The doctor who put medicine before magic
Was Hippocrates the first modern doctor? A controversial new book argues that the ancient Greek physician established the principles of medicine as we know it as long ago as 470 BC.
-
Rare space rock holds secret to life on Earth
Do meteorites contain the building blocks for life? Scientists have found organic molecules in a 4.5 billion-year-old meteorite, raising the possibility that life came from outer space.
-
Schools become new battleground in virus war
Is the coronavirus transmitted in schools? Many scientists say children have a minimal role in the pandemic. Yet, in the last two weeks of July alone, nearly 100,000 tested positive in the USA.
-
New penguin colonies discovered – from space
Is this good news for humans? Emperor penguins are the world’s early warning system. Could the discovery of new colonies give us any hope that Earth has begun to reverse the climate crisis?
-
Scientists warn public on alien communication
If aliens call, what should we say? Scientists are turning to the public to ask how — and if — we should reply to intelligent extraterrestrial life. It could alter the course of history.
-
‘Woolly mammoths could walk the Earth again’
Scientists in Japan have made a “significant step” towards bringing the ancient species back from the dead, using the DNA of a frozen mammoth. But is it the right thing to do?
-
Ants — not humans — rule world, says study
Could it be that ants are more powerful than humans? With their mega-cities, transport networks, ventilation, childcare systems and waste collection, they put us to shame, says a new book.
-
Humpback whale ‘swallows’ sea lion whole
Is nature competitive or co-operative? A rare image of a sea lion flailing in the jaws of a humpback whale is not what it appears to be — challenging our ideas about survival of the fittest.
-
The day the dinosaurs died
A young scientist has found a record of the most significant event in the history of life on Earth. Stunning fossils show what happened when a huge asteroid slammed into the Gulf of Mexico.
-
Scientists create first human-monkey hybrid
Should animals ever be part-human? Faced by a deadly shortage in human organs for life-saving operations, our only hope may be animals with human DNA. But there are serious ethical concerns.
-
Massive study reveals there is no gay gene
Are experiments like this harmful? Human sexuality is far more complex than previously thought, say scientists. But some in the LGBT community say the research should never have taken place.
-
Scientists declare gene-editing war on pests
Should all pests be wiped out? New Zealand’s government plans to kill all rats and invasive predators by 2050. Some want to use genetic modification, but others warn of ecological disaster.
-
The doctor: ‘People get better before your eyes’
What does it take to be a doctor? Dr Abhishek Shetye is training in a hospital. It’s hard work, but there’s nothing more rewarding than getting very sick patients back on their feet.
-
Earth’s 2019 resources ‘budget’ already used
Will it take a disaster to teach us to live within our means? As of today, humans have consumed more resources than Planet Earth can regenerate in a year — a worse record than last year.
-
Solar power and smart farms: welcome to utopia
Can we build utopia? For hundreds of years, we have been captivated by the dream of a perfect society. Now, amid the climate crisis, is it time to build an “ecotopia”?