Theoreticians in the 1960s who were trying to wrap their heads around the principles of why and how animals on this planet age argued that senescence is "inevitable." As time goes by, organisms grow old, and their probability of dying increases, they said.But research into a wide range of organisms suggests this almost definitely isn't the case: there's a growing variety in how creatures grow old. On all branches of the evolutionary tree, some animals live fast and die young and those that are ...read more

Incredible speeds aside, cheetahs spend most of their days resting. They nap the hottest parts of the day away beneath the shade. They chirp and purr to one another but don’t roar. They’re introverts. However, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), they’re also classified as one of over 40,000 species threatened with extinction, Specifically, the cheetah, or Acinonyx jubatus, is classified as a vulnerable species. Its global population is declining, and ...read more

As it turns out, humans aren't the only ones who appreciate the aroma of a fresh batch of beer. According to researchers at the Oregon Hatchery Research Center in Alsea, Oregon, the scent of ale is tempting to fish, too, and could successfully lure salmon back to their home hatcheries. Wild salmon are famous for their arduous migrations between the ocean and the rivers of their origins, where they return as adults after several years of ocean wandering to spawn. Relying on their finely tuned sen ...read more

From unraveling the mysteries of the cosmos to unearthing the origins of humanity, these famous scientists have not only expanded the boundaries of human knowledge but have also profoundly altered the way we live, work, and perceive the world around us. The relentless pursuit of knowledge by these visionary thinkers has propelled humanity forward in ways that were once unimaginable. These exceptional individuals have made an extraordinary impact on fields including physics, chemistry, biology, ...read more

Raise your hand if you regularly find yourself walking up a flight of stairs. What about carrying heavy bags of groceries? How about picking up your child or grandchild? Most of us would raise our hands to doing at least one of those weekly, or even daily.As people age, it can become more and more difficult to perform some physical tasks, even those that are normal activities of daily living. However, prioritizing physical fitness and health as you get older can help you go through your normal d ...read more

Genetic variants inherited from Neanderthals make modern-day people more likely to suffer pain when poked with a stick, geneticists have found.The Neanderthal variants involve three small changes to the SCN9A gene, which provides instructions for building highly important sodium channels in certain nerve cells. These protein structures permit sodium ions to flow into the cell, readying it to fire and communicate with other nerve cells.In this case, the variants seem to lower the threshold at whi ...read more

As a child in the 1890s, Ruth Benedict lived in a society that made her life challenging. A lack of understanding about hearing loss meant adults accused her of not complying with directions. And limited opportunities for women made it difficult for her widowed mother to earn a living wage.These challenges prompted Benedict to consider how society was structured to benefit people who fit certain traits and disenfranchise those outside the norm. She became one of the most influential anthropolo ...read more

No one is born with the ability to ride a skateboard, surf or even stand on their tiptoes. Unlike other mammals, human beings have no balance at birth – virtually no capacity to walk or even stand. Before that can happen, their vision, hearing, muscles, bones and brain must develop. This takes months, and for some activities, even years.Infants typically begin rolling over when they’re 6 months old. They generally start to crawl by 9 months, and stand around a year old. By 18 months old, mo ...read more

The recent announcement of the discovery of a dog-fox hybrid, the so-called “dogxim,” was strange and adorable and a little otherworldly. But scientists warn that such crossbreeds are generally evidence of nature going awry under pressures created by humans.As agriculture and other forms of human development encroach on natural areas, wild and domesticated animals (not to mention people and their automobiles) are frequently coming into close contact with each other.In the case of dogxim, the ...read more

People have been asking why space is dark despite being filled with stars for so long that this question has a special name – Olbers’ paradox.Astronomers estimate that there are about 200 billion trillion stars in the observable universe. And many of those stars are as bright or even brighter than our sun. So, why isn’t space filled with dazzling light?I am an astronomer who studies stars and planets – including those outside our solar system – and their motion in space. The study ...read more