Animals and other creatures

We are family: Tracing the evolution of animals

To understand the origins of muticelled life, researchers are studying a motley assortment of simpler animal relatives. The commonalities they’re unearthing offer a trove of clues about our mutual past.

Yellow food dye can make living tissue transparent

These new methods could one day improve cancer treatment, blood draws and even tattoo removal.

Tardigrades: Surviving extreme radiation

These tiny animals use a combination of DNA repair machinery and a novel protein to mend their genome after intense ionizing radiation.

Seeking the sweet spot to beat a pig parasite

Researchers extracted, separated and tested glycans from the porcine whipworm in an effort to determine the best way to develop treatments and vaccines.

Animals have used bioluminescence to communicate for millions of years

Despite its widespread occurrence, scientists don’t yet know when or where this phenomenon first emerged, or its original function.

Harnessing a natural plant insecticide for commercial use

Researchers in Australia have identified circular peptides, called cyclotides, that affect the formation of cell membranes, causing death or restricted growth.

How to control chronic wasting disease

A prion sickness similar to mad cow is spreading rapidly through North America’s deer and elk populations. A veterinary microbiologist discusses the options for keeping it in check.

Cardiolipin helps fruit flies take flight

Researchers at New York University have found that this long-lived phospholipid may underlie the insect’s extraordinary wing strength.

Snaking toward a universal antivenom

Scientists at Scripps Research have discovered antibodies that protect against a host of lethal snake venoms.