Lizards, fish and other species are evolving with climate change, but not fast enough

From dark dragonflies becoming paler to plants flowering earlier, some species are slowly evolving with the climate. Evolutionary biologists explain why few will evolve fast enough.

James Stroud, Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolution, Georgia Institute of Technology • conversation
Nov. 21, 2023 ~10 min

How animals get their skin patterns is a matter of physics – new research clarifying how could improve medical diagnostics and synthetic materials

Understanding how the intricate spots and stripes, or Turing patterns, of many animals form can help scientists mimic those processes in the lab.

Ankur Gupta, Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder • conversation
Nov. 8, 2023 ~8 min


Engineered 'living materials' could help clean up water pollution one day

‘Living materials’ made with genetically engineered bacteria and Jell-O-like gel could make pollutants in water bodies nontoxic.

Debika Datta, Postdoctoral Scholar in Nanoengineering, University of California, San Diego • conversation
Nov. 7, 2023 ~6 min

Biological sex is far from binary − this college course examines the science of sex diversity in people, fungi and across the animal kingdom

Spanning evolutionary biology, genetics, development, neurobiology, endocrinology and psychology, as well as current events and sports, students explore the complexities of the biology of sex.

Ari Berkowitz, Presidential Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, Biology; Director, Cellular & Behavioral Neurobiology Graduate Program, University of Oklahoma • conversation
Oct. 23, 2023 ~6 min

What 2,500 years of wildfire evidence and the extreme fire seasons of 1910 and 2020 tell us about the future of fire in the West

As the climate warms, devastating fires are increasingly likely. The 2020 fires pushed the Southern Rockies beyond the historical average. Is there hope for the Northern Rockies?

Philip Higuera, Professor of Fire Ecology, University of Montana • conversation
Oct. 17, 2023 ~10 min

What 2,500 years of wildfire evidence tells us about the future of fires in the West

As the climate warms, devastating fires are increasingly likely. The 2020 fires pushed the Southern Rockies beyond the historical average. Is there hope for the Northern Rockies?

Philip Higuera, Professor of Fire Ecology, University of Montana • conversation
Oct. 17, 2023 ~10 min

What the extreme fire seasons of 1910 and 2020 – and 2,500 years of forest history – tell us about the future of wildfires in the West

As the climate warms, devastating fires are increasingly likely. The 2020 fires pushed the Southern Rockies beyond the historical average. Is there hope for the Northern Rockies?

Philip Higuera, Professor of Fire Ecology, University of Montana • conversation
Oct. 17, 2023 ~10 min

Possible hints of life found on distant planet – how excited should we be?

The results are intriguing, but analysing the atmospheres of exoplanets is no easy task.

Ian Whittaker, Senior Lecturer in Physics, Nottingham Trent University • conversation
Sept. 13, 2023 ~7 min


It's reassuring to think humans are evolution's ultimate destination – but research shows we may be an accident

We may have become the most complex living creature in part by accident and replication of error.

Marcello Ruta, Senior Lecturer, Life Sciences, University of Lincoln • conversation
Sept. 5, 2023 ~8 min

How do flies find every stinky garbage dumpster? A biologist explains their sensory superpower

Flies often beat out competitors for food because of their specialized sensing organs called antennae.

Christine Picard, Associate Professor of Biology, Indiana University • conversation
Sept. 4, 2023 ~6 min

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