Articles for category: Biology & Genetics

Our Brain Holds Secrets That Are Just Beginning to Be Unlocked by Science

Our Brain Holds Secrets That Are Just Beginning to Be Unlocked by Science

Sumi

Think about this for a second: the same three pounds of tissue that let you fall in love, remember your first day at school, and worry about the future is still, in many ways, a mystery to science. Neuroscientists can track individual neurons firing and even map entire networks in astonishing detail, yet they still ...

Earth's Deep Oceans Are Home to Creatures Beyond Our Wildest Imagination

Earth’s Deep Oceans Are Home to Creatures Beyond Our Wildest Imagination

Kristina

We think we know our planet. We’ve mapped cities, climbed mountains, and sent robots to Mars. Yet right here beneath the waves lies a realm so unexplored that we’ve literally charted more of the moon’s surface than our own ocean floor. The deep sea makes up the vast majority of our planet’s living space. It’s ...

Targeting Viral DNA Integration and Persistence

Could Scientists Engineer DNA to Resist All Viruses?

Gargi Chakravorty

 The battle between humans and viruses has raged for millennia, but what if we could flip the script entirely? Instead of treating viral infections after they occur, imagine having DNA that’s naturally programmed to resist virtually every virus known to science. This isn’t science fiction anymore – researchers are getting remarkably close to making this ...

The “Waddling Menace” in Popular Imagination

Why Penguins Have Knees — And How They Waddle With Them

Trizzy Orozco

Have you ever watched a penguin shuffle across the ice and wondered, “Do they even have knees under all those feathers?” It’s a question that tickles the imagination, especially when you see these birds waddling with such comical determination. The truth is surprising: penguins absolutely do have knees, and the story of how they use ...

A technician using a microtome at the Advanced Technology Research Facility.

Ben Barres & the Discovery of the Mysterious Plant Compound That Can Treat Cancer

Anna Lee

Ben Barres was a celebrated neurobiologist whose groundbreaking work significantly impacted the field of neuroscience. Though he was widely recognized for his scientific contributions, Barres also championed gender equality in science, both through his advocacy and life as a transgender scientist. However, his association with a mysterious plant compound allegedly capable of treating cancer is ...

Blackboard with mathematical equation.

15 Ways Mathematics Is Used to Solve Real-World Problems

Trizzy Orozco

Mathematics is often perceived as an abstract discipline confined to the classroom. However, its applications extend far beyond solving textbook equations. From improving healthcare to optimizing business operations, math is a powerful tool used to tackle a plethora of real-world issues. This article explores 15 fascinating ways mathematics is applied to address and solve practical ...

10 Mind-Bending Illusions That Reveal How Our Brain Interprets Reality

10 Mind-Bending Illusions That Reveal How Our Brain Interprets Reality

Sumi

Look around you for a second. The colors, the shapes, the movement you think you see so clearly? A lot of that is your brain quietly guessing, filling in gaps, and sometimes getting things spectacularly wrong. That’s not a glitch; it’s how you stay sane in a chaotic, overloaded world. But once you start noticing ...

Are We Outsourcing Memory to Machines — And Forgetting How to Think?

Are We Outsourcing Memory to Machines — And Forgetting How to Think?

Annette Uy

Imagine waking up one morning and realizing you can’t remember your best friend’s phone number—or even your own. It’s not because of age or illness, but because you haven’t needed to remember it for years. From childhood, we’re taught to lean on our brains, to recall facts, faces, and details that define our lives. But ...

two people sitting on pavement facing on body of water

The Science of Longevity: What We Know About Extending Human Lifespan

Annette Uy

The quest to unlock the secrets of a longer life is as old as humanity itself. From the mythical Fountain of Youth to modern healthcare innovations, the desire to extend human lifespan persists throughout history. Today, as scientific knowledge and technology advance at an unprecedented rate, the science of longevity is transforming from mere speculation ...