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In response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic—which has dramatically affected the entire world, causing high morbidity, mortality, and massive social and economic disruption—and in addition to finding efficacious treatments for…

A clade of ancient birds known as lithornithids (chicken-sized, long-beaked birds), who lived approximately 40–70 million years ago, possessed a unique vibrotactile bill-tip organ that allowed these birds to detect vibrations in the ground. The…

Scientists have suggested a possible connection between ancient Neandertals (Homo neanderthalensis) and the severity of disease in patients affected by COVID-19. In short, certain genes acquired from Neandertals during instances of interbreeding…

There has been substantial progress in the fight against certain drug-resistant organisms that cause serious, often fatal, diseases. However, two drug-resistant microbes—specifically, Candida auris (a fungal yeast) and Acinetobacter (a genus of…

Sickle cell disease, also termed sickle cell anemia, is a genetic disorder in which hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation, causes red blood cells (erythrocytes) to assume a rigid sickle shape, blocking blood flow within blood vessels. The disease results…

Fingerprint identification is a widely used forensic method for linking an individual to a crime scene. Investigators at a crime scene can find invisible (latent) fingerprints, which consist of natural skin oils, by "dusting" surfaces with carbon…

Mucus produced by the common garden snail (Helix aspersa) is green. The slime is not actually green in color but is “green” in terms of its environmentally friendly chemistry. It turns out that this snail’s mucus has chemical properties as a…

Macrophages are large phagocytic cells that detect, engulf, and destroy foreign particles, microbes, and other pathogens. When nonmotile, they are often referred to as histiocytes. They reside in every tissue of the body and play major roles in both…

All of the many diverse breeds of dogs, including both domestic and wild dogs (wolves, coyotes, foxes, jackals, and dingoes), belong to the genus Canis in the mammalian family Canidae. One intriguing example of an obscure wild dog is the New Guinea…

Over thousands of years of study of the human body through dissection and, more recently, modern-day imaging techniques, scientists have observed and analyzed various glands—that is, structures or organs that produce and secrete a substance or…

In a surprising find, researchers have detected phosphine (PH3) in the atmosphere of Venus. This poisonous, colorless, flammable gas is nonetheless considered a strong sign of life, or "biosignature." Biosignatures are gases or combinations of gases…

Overwhelming fossil evidence of dinosaurs indicates that these reptiles inhabited terrestrial environments and were initially bipedal (two-footed). Then, as dinosaurs evolved, some became quadrupedal, walking on four legs. Other ancient nondinosaur…

Occurring in mammary glands and closely associated tissues, breast cancer is the most common cancer observed in women. For example, in the United States, approximately 1 in 8 women (about 12%) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of…

Members of the order Pristiophoriformes within the vertebrate subphylum comprise an unusual group of sharks. Collectively known as sawsharks, these marine fishes are distinguishable from other elasmobranchs (sharks, skates, and rays) by a number of…

Poliomyelitis, more commonly called polio, is a devastating infectious disease of the central nervous system caused by the poliovirus (a type of enterovirus), which has three types in the wild (types 1, 2, and 3). Wild types 2 and 3 were declared…

The Ebola virus comprises a group of pathogenic agents that cause severe and deadly hemorrhagic fevers in humans and other primates. During 2014 and 2015, an Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa—predominantly, the countries of Guinea, Liberia, and…

Charles Robert Darwin (February 12, 1809 – April 19, 1882) is one of the most celebrated and eminent scientists of the past few centuries, with his broadest and most notable influence arising from his theory of evolution by means of natural…

The critically endangered northern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum cottoni) is a subspecies of white rhino that is on the brink of complete extinction, with only two individuals left in captivity and no known members reported in the wild. The…

A compound found in cranberries, called cranberry proanthocyanidin (cPAC), when used in combination with antibiotics, such as tetracycline, prevents resistance to antibiotics in Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, according to researchers…

At the Woranso-Mille paleontological site in northern Ethiopia, researchers have discovered a 3.8 million-year-old cranium (skull) belonging to a primitive hominin known as Australopithecus anamensis. Initially unearthed in 2016, but not reported…

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid analgesic (pain reliever) that resembles morphine in its action. However, its drug potency is approximately 50 to 100 times more powerful than that of morphine, leading to high rates of both addiction and overdose…

Photosynthesis is a key natural process utilized by plants and is necessary for proper plant growth. Specifically, photosynthesis uses light to manufacture chemical compounds, including organic compounds—primarily carbohydrates—that are derived from…

The four main blood types (blood groups) found in humans are A, B, AB, and O. Two particular antigens (A and B) determine the specific blood type—A antigen is present in type A blood; B antigen is present in type B blood; both A and B antigens are…

The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), a type of monitor lizard belonging to the reptilian order Squamata, is a tremendously powerful carnivorous predator. The creature is indigenous to a small number of Indonesian islands, including Komodo, and…

Macular degeneration is the most prevalent cause of vision impairment and loss among people aged 55 years and older. Also termed age-related macular degeneration (AMD), this serious eye condition damages the macula, which is the most sensitive part…

Measles is a highly infectious and communicable disease that is most often contracted in childhood. The infective particle is a ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus—specifically, a paramyxovirus belonging to the genus Morbillivirus. Infected individuals…

Caused by the rod-shaped bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis and transmitted by airborne droplets from a diseased individual, tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic infectious disease of humans (and other animals) that destroys body tissue. When M.…

Osteoprotegerin (OPG) is a protein that plays a central role in the regulation of bone mass. Also known as osteoclastogenesis inhibitory factor (OCIF), this naturally occurring protein [a soluble decoy receptor protein that belongs to the tumor…

The bacteria that live in the gut (gastrointestinal tract) constitute a large part of an individual's microbiome (also known as microbiota). In general, gut bacteria, also referred to as the microbial flora of the gut, are harbored by normal,…

The killer whale, or orca, is a predatory cetacean typically found in cold ocean waters. With its easily recognizable black body and distinct white patches over the eyes and around the belly, the orca is a top (apex) predator in the marine…

Psychedelic drugs, also termed hallucinogenic or psychotomimetic drugs, induce transient states of altered perception resembling or mimicking the symptoms of psychosis and are characterized by profound alterations in mood. Because psychedelic drugs…

Statins comprise a group of drugs that are widely prescribed to combat high cholesterol. They suppress the production of cholesterol in the liver and interfere with the formation of plaques in the arteries of the body. As such, these…

Those who fear contracting a water-borne illness caused by pollution at the shore or ingesting a killer amoeba (Naegleria fowleri) at a freshwater lake might instead opt to visit a swimming pool. After all, most pool water is hygienically treated.…

Researchers have developed polymeric materials that are able to kill multidrug-resistant bacteria without inducing drug resistance or toxic side effects, according to a report in Nature Communications (March 2018). The polymers, known as…

Antisense drugs are gene-based molecules that inhibit the synthesis of proteins (including proteins that cause specific diseases) by binding to the ribonucleic acids (RNAs) responsible for their formation. Specifically, these drugs are…

Soil harbors a vast reservoir of antimicrobial agents. In fact, approximately 80% of all clinically implemented antibiotics are derived from soil-dwelling bacteria. However, many bacteria have evolved methods to evade the effects of various…

Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic infectious disease of humans (as well as animals) primarily involving the lungs. It is caused by the tubercle bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis and is transmitted by pathogenic airborne droplets. Approximately 5–10%…

The warming temperatures attributed to global climate change are making it more difficult for sea turtle populations to survive. As a result of the unusual developmental processes found in many reptiles, including some species of turtles, the sex of…

CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing is a modern technique that targets specific stretches of genetic code and allows editing of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) at designated locations. It has been at the forefront of genetic research, providing scientists with the…

The evolutionary transition of certain dinosaurs into modern birds has long been an active area of paleontological research. Because the members of the class Aves are living representatives of theropod dinosaurs, paleontologists have sought fossil…

Mammals possess a certain gene, termed PON1, which encodes a protein enzyme (paraoxonase) that is used to process the cholesterol lipids and fatty acids found in food. This gene evolved millions of years ago and is functionally active in terrestrial…

Humans' contributions to global warming through burning fossil fuels and other actions (for example, detrimental land-use practices) have resulted in sharp increases in the levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). These rising levels of CO2 also…

A newly identified reptilian fossil has pushed back the phylogenetic (evolutionary) family tree of Squamata [the dominant order of living reptiles, comprising lizards, snakes, and amphisbaenians (mostly limbless lizards that resemble worms)] by 75…

Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a complex neurodevelopmental condition that impairs the way that a person relates to and communicates with other people. In addition, autism is characterized by restricted, repetitive, or…

Scientists have long thought that dinosaur eggs were white in color and that the evolution of colored eggs in birds was strictly an avian innovation that occurred after the demise of the nonavian dinosaurs. However, technical advancements in the…

Mathematics is often referred to as the language of nature. A new study further makes this case by demonstrating that the distribution of prime numbers bears a striking similarity to the positions of atoms in materials known as quasicrystals. The…

Quorum sensing is a process by which bacteria monitor their own population density by detecting the levels of signal molecules that are released by the bacteria. It is a unique phenomenon of cell-to-cell communication, enabling microorganisms to…

Regeneration is the regrowth and replacement of living tissues or organs that have been lost or severely injured through mishaps or disease. The goal of regenerative medicine with regard to humans is to restore the structure and function of any…

Researchers from the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Nanoscale BioPhotonics have developed a smartphone microscope that uses the camera’s internal flash as the light source. Their development, described in Scientific…

It is estimated that 1 gram of soil can be inhabited by up to 109 microorganisms and approximately 60,000 bacterial species. Moreover, soil harbors a vast reservoir of antimicrobial agents, and soil-dwelling bacteria have played a key role in the…