Emily Singer

Former Senior Writer

Latest Articles

Game Theory Calls Cooperation Into Question

February 12, 2015

A new solution to the prisoner’s dilemma, a classic game theory scenario, has created new puzzles in evolutionary biology.

Machine Intelligence Cracks Genetic Controls

December 18, 2014

Scientists have begun to decipher the most difficult-to-read parts of the genome — the parts that don’t code for proteins. The new work reveals how errors in these genetic instructions can lead to disease.

New Twist Found in the Story of Life’s Start

November 26, 2014

All life on Earth is made of molecules that twist in the same direction. New research reveals that this may not always have been so.

Ancient Survivors Could Redefine Sex

November 19, 2014

Microscopic creatures called bdelloid rotifers have thrived without mating for millions of years. How they did it could reveal why sex is so essential for almost everyone else.

Brain’s Positioning System Linked to Memory

October 7, 2014

The 2014 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to three researchers who discovered how the brain navigates the world. Their work may also help illuminate how the mind stores memories.

Elusive Form of Evolution Seen in Spiders

October 2, 2014

A study of diverse colonies of spiders supports a controversial idea in evolution — that natural selection can act on communities as well as on individuals.

Lizard Stowaways Revise Principle of Ecology

September 24, 2014

The movement of lizards around the Caribbean is forcing researchers to account for human activity in even their most basic ecological models.

Evolution’s Random Paths Lead to One Place

September 11, 2014

A massive statistical study suggests that even though genetic changes happen at random, the final evolutionary outcome — fitness — is predictable.

As Animals Mingle, a Baffling Genetic Barrier

August 5, 2014

Despite swapping DNA through interbreeding, butterflies and other animals can maintain distinct species.

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