Biology

The common marmoset may be a suitable model for human obesity.

How Marmosets Can Teach Us About Obesity

A new study indicates the small monkeys may help us understand what leads us to put on weight

After playing a sad movie scene for a group of women, researchers collected their tears and placed the unidentified fluid under men's noses. The result was a reduced sexual arousal and testosterone levels.

The Truth About Pheromones

Yes, scientists say, your airborne compounds send signals about your moods, your sexual orientation and even your genetic makeup

Whalers pursued sperm whales for the rich oil in their oversized heads. Now biologists are on the tail of these deep-diving, long-lived, sociable and mysterious sea creatures.

The Sperm Whale's Deadly Call

Scientists have discovered that the massive mammal uses elaborate buzzes, clicks and squeaks that spell doom for the animal's prey

Weighing up to several tons, whale sharks are also notable for their markings. Each pattern of spots is unique and scientists identify individual fish using computer programs first developed to study star constellations.

Swimming With Whale Sharks

Wildlife researchers and tourists are heading to a tiny Mexican village to learn about the mystery of the largest fish in the sea

With the rise of information theory, ideas were seen as behaving like organisms, replicating by leaping from brain to brain, interacting to form new ideas and evolving in what the scientist Roger Sperry called "a burstwise advance."

What Defines a Meme?

Our world is a place where information can behave like human genes and ideas can replicate, mutate and evolve

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Robots Inspired by Biology

Henrietta Lacks' cells were essential in developing the polio vaccine and were used in scientific landmarks such as cloning, gene mapping and in vitro fertilization.

Henrietta Lacks’ ‘Immortal’ Cells

Journalist Rebecca Skloot’s new book investigates how a poor black tobacco farmer had a groundbreaking impact on modern medicine

Researchers search for Asian longhorned beetles among Worcester's hardwoods.

Invasion of the Longhorn Beetles

In Worcester, Massachusetts, authorities are battling an invasive insect that is poised to devastate the forests of New England

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Rodents of Unusual Size Do Exist

A group of biologists suggests that disease ultimately determines much of who we are and how we behave.

The Culture of Being Rude

A new biological theory states that cultural behavior is not just a regional quirk, but a defense against the spread of disease

John Allman (with colleague Atiya Hakeem at Caltech examining elephant brain specimens) is searching for one of the biological keys to human behavior.

Brain Cells for Socializing

Does an obscure nerve cell help explain what gorillas, elephants, whales—and people—have in common?

Where do they go? How many are there? What's with the tusk? Narwhals (in the Arctic Ocean) have inspired myth and wonder but are still little known to science.

In Search of the Mysterious Narwhal

Ballerina turned biologist Kristin Laidre gives her all to study the elusive, deep-diving, ice-loving whale known as the "unicorn of the sea"

Laura Helmuth

Laura Helmuth on "Seeing is Believing"

The toothache tree of North America, Zanthoxylum clava-herculis

Chinese Spices Hijack Your Taste Buds

Nancy Knowlton

Nancy Knowlton

The renowned coral reef biologist leads Smithsonian's effort to foster a greater public understanding of the world's oceans

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The Universe Has Its Secrets; We've Got Science Rap

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Pesticide Resistance: Harder Than It Looks

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T. rex Protein Was Mere Bacterial Goop?

Termite digestion of wood pulp is the subject of research into potential new biofuels

Termite Bellies and Biofuels

Scientist Falk Warnecke's research into termite digestion may hold solutions to our energy crisis

Where did you think tomato paste came from? A harvester in California’s Sacramento Valley gathers tons of Roma-type tomatoes for Morning Star, the world’s largest tomato-processing company.

A Passion for Tomatoes

Whatever the variety—commercial hybrid or precious heirloom—the plump juicy "vegetable" has a place in our hearts

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