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Biology

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On the Microbial Frontier, Cooperation Thrives

August 2, 2013

Population expansion may be a major driver in the evolution of cooperation, with implications for new antibiotics, cancer treatments and perhaps even human behavior.

Q&A

In Pursuit of Quantum Biology With Birgitta Whaley

July 30, 2013

An interview with the Berkeley chemist K. Birgitta Whaley on the promise and challenge of translating quantum biology into practical quantum devices.

As Machines Get Smarter, Evidence They Learn Like Us

July 23, 2013

Studies show that computer models called "neural networks" behave strikingly similar to actual brains when performing certain tasks, suggesting the two may learn in the same way.

The Surprising Origins of Life’s Complexity

July 16, 2013

Scientists are exploring how organisms can evolve elaborate structures without Darwinian selection.

Tiny Genomes May Offer Clues to First Plants and Animals

June 20, 2013

Symbiotic bacteria that dwell within insect cells are intricately intertwined with their hosts, prompting scientists to question when these bacteria stop being bona fide organisms and become part of the cell.

A New Approach to Building the Tree of Life

June 4, 2013

More genetic data is available than ever before to help build evolutionary trees, but scientists are finding that different genes even in the same organism can tell conflicting stories.

Biologists Home In on Turing Patterns

March 25, 2013

New research has prompted a resurgence of interest in the patterning mechanisms Alan Turing proposed 60 years ago.

Hunger Game: Is Honesty Between Animals Always the Best Policy?

January 9, 2013

Game theorists have developed a new model of communication among animals. It suggests evolution will produce a situation in which members of a species are honest most of the time, but not always.

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