Vishay Singh

Author Vishay Singh

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Author Vishay Singh

Select Category Select Tag Select Archive ...read more

Author Vishay Singh

(Credit: Delpixel/Shutterstock) Thanks to the architecture in our eyes, we see but a small subset of the hues that make up the visible spectrum. We only have three kinds of cones, or color-sensitive cells, to make sense of what could be millions or even hundreds of millions of colors. We still do a pretty good job of it — normal human eyes can pick out about a million different colors, far more than we have ever come up with names for. Still, we could conceivably do better ...read more

Author Vishay Singh

(Credit: Shutterstock) Whether we like to or not, we’re all gamblers. Every waking moment, countless stem cells inside our bodies are dividing in order to replace worn out biological machinery. But every time these perfectly healthy cells divide, roughly three mistakes occur in the genetic code—no one’s perfect. These mutations, though unpredictable, are typically benign, but sometimes this molecular game of Roulette takes an unlucky turn. “Most of the time these mutati ...read more

Author Vishay Singh

Seafloor sediment is home to a vast repository of slow-growing, slow-evolving microbes. (Image: NOAA) On the seafloor, “marine snow” is constantly falling. Bits of dead plankton, decaying fecal material, biological remnants from shore – it all finds its way to the bottom of the ocean, delivering needed sources of organic molecules and energy to the microbial communities lying in wait. Over time, this snow – along with sediment mineral grains – accumulates, burying ...read more