Muscles lost in our primate ancestors still appear in humans
A review of previous anatomy studies found that some “ancient” muscles that are normally present in other primate species may be more…
Category: Big Questions
A new way to look for signs of ancient life on Earth and Mars
The Mars 2020 mission involves sending a rover, named Perseverance, to Mars to look for evidence of past life on that planet. Perseverance…
How does life handle the harshness of space?
Experiments on the International Space Station found that lichens, a combination of algae and fungi, survived in space-like, flight, and…
How storms may contribute to groundwater contamination in karst systems
Researchers found that minerals from rocks deposited in karst aquifers during storms comes in two waves.
Can cigarette butts on the beach influence the local environment?
A study of burned and unburned cigarettes found that water chemistry and microbes living in Mediterranean beach sediments changed after 4…
Who figured out the structure of DNA?
Today, we know DNA is where we get our traits. We know we inherit our DNA from our parents, and that our DNA contains genes. We know that we…
Strange microbes found living in caves of sulfuric acid
Researchers studying a sulfuric acid cave in Italy are among the first to describe organisms found living in gypsum, an acidic mineral…
Antibody testing for coronavirus: what does the science say?
Are there better ways to detect the coronavirus in our body? A small study from China suggests antibody testing as a potentially more…
A new understanding of weather on Saturn
The Cassini spacecraft revealed the atmosphere of Saturn has large regions that don’t cycle to the poles and that the atmosphere is filled…
What can microbes teach us about life in extreme environments?
Microbes on Earth have adapted to survive in some pretty extreme locations. The extreme dryness of deserts, high salinity in salt deposits,…