Biology

Two dynamic, seemingly opposing forces likely played an important role in the evolution of reproduction and child rearing in social animals like bees and humans.

A newly discovered mechanism may enable viruses to shuttle genes between bacteria 1,000 times as often as was thought — making them a major force in those cells’ evolution.

Renee Reijo Pera has spent decades uncovering how the timing of embryonic development contributes to health and disease.

New work at the intersection of atmospheric science and ecology is finding that forests can influence rainfall and climate from across a continent.

By using the power of evolution to solve practical problems, three researchers opened new avenues to chemical discovery.

The availability of 16 new mouse genomes will help accelerate research into the genetic underpinnings of human traits and diseases.

James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for developing ways to unleash the immune system more effectively against cancers.

By measuring mechanical forces inside an embryo for the first time, researchers have shown how a physical “jamming” mechanism assists development.

Paradoxically, the abundance of tight interactions among living species usually leads to disasters in ecological models. New analyses hint at how nature seemingly defies the math.