A bottlenose dolphin? Or Tursiops truncatus? Why biologists give organisms those strange, unpronounceable names

Some say Latin names are elitist and incomprehensible, but they started out as a way to be inclusive.

Nicholas Green, Assistant Professor of Biology, Kennesaw State University • conversation
June 3, 2025 ~8 min

It’s miller moth season in Colorado – an entomologist explains why they’re important and where they’re headed

Miller moths migrate through the state every summer and are sometimes considered to be a pest.

Ryan St Laurent, Assistant Professor of Biology, University of Colorado Boulder • conversation
June 3, 2025 ~8 min


Cambridge researchers awarded £7.5 million to build programmable plants

Two groups involving researchers from the University of Cambridge’s Department of Plant Sciences are among nine teams to have been awarded funding today from

Cambridge University News • cambridge
June 2, 2025 ~5 min

If it looks like a dire wolf, is it a dire wolf? How to define a species is a scientific and philosophical question

Figuring out whether de-extinction is possible is as much a technical puzzle as a philosophical one. Add two kinds of DNA to the mix, and it gets even more complex.

Elay Shech, Professor of Philosophy, Auburn University • conversation
May 30, 2025 ~12 min

A high-fat diet sets off metabolic dysfunction in cells, leading to weight gain

Researchers also found these effects can be reversed by treatment with an antioxidant.

Anne Trafton | MIT News • mit
May 28, 2025 ~7 min

Anti-trans measures don’t just target transgender men and women – a sociologist explains how ‘male’ or ‘female’ categories miss the mark for nonbinary Americans

The recent spate of executive orders around sex and gender impact nonbinary Americans, as well as trans Americans who identify as a man or a woman.

Barbara J. Risman, Distinguished Professor of Sociology, University of Illinois Chicago • conversation
May 28, 2025 ~8 min

Scientists discover potential new targets for Alzheimer’s drugs

Pathways involved in DNA repair and other cellular functions could contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s.

Anne Trafton | MIT News • mit
May 20, 2025 ~7 min

Technique rapidly measures cells’ density, reflecting health and developmental state

The method could help predict whether immunotherapies will work in a patient or how a tumor will respond to drug treatment.

Anne Trafton | MIT News • mit
May 20, 2025 ~9 min


With AI, researchers predict the location of virtually any protein within a human cell

Trained with a joint understanding of protein and cell behavior, the model could help with diagnosing disease and developing new drugs.

Adam Zewe | MIT News • mit
May 15, 2025 ~8 min

Biologists identify targets for new pancreatic cancer treatments

Their study yielded hundreds of “cryptic” peptides that are found only on pancreatic tumor cells and could be targeted by vaccines or engineered T cells.

Anne Trafton | MIT News • mit
May 8, 2025 ~7 min

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