Science

Side by side of mouse embryos. The one on the left appears to be developing normally, but the one on the right has an extra pair of legs.

How turning off one gene causes mice to grow 6 legs

A study of embryo development in mice led to the creation of a mutant mouse fetus with an extra pair of legs in place of genitals.

Kristin Houser

a rendering of three massive silver containers with "Ark" written on them

Food

This startup is trying to solve lab-grown meat’s biggest problem

A biotech startup has developed a new kind of bioreactor that could help increase cultivated meat production.

Kristin Houser

A man in a suit stands next to a robotic arm with computer-brain interfaces on a stage under blue lighting.

Big Tech

In a future with brain-computer interfaces like Elon Musk’s Neuralink, we may need to rethink freedom of thought

In a future with more “mind reading,” thanks to computer-brain interfaces, we may need to rethink freedom of thought.

Parker Crutchfield

Biology

Mouse embryos with beating hearts grown from stem cells

Mouse embryos with muscles, blood vessels, and beating hearts have been grown from stem cells — bringing lab-grown organs closer to reality.

Kristin Houser

DIY

Kids build DIY microscope from LEGO & cheap phone parts

A DIY microscope made out of LEGO bricks and smartphone lenses could be a powerful learning tool, teaching kids the basics of microscopy.

Kristin Houser

Animals

Hippos in tracking study unexpectedly contract anthrax

A study into the movement of hippos led to new research on anthrax outbreaks when some of the animals wearing GPS trackers contracted the disease.

Kristin Houser

Biology

3D-printed liver tissue may be first step to lab-grown organs

A NASA challenge designed to accelerate tissue engineering has announced two winning teams, both of which used 3D bioprinting to create human liver tissue.

Kristin Houser

Neurodiversity

Flickering screens help kids with reading disabilities

Adding visual white noise to computer screens appears to help children with reading disabilities read and recall words written on them.

Kristin Houser

Neuroscience

Google and Harvard have created the most detailed brain map yet

Google and Harvard have released the most detailed map yet, called a connectome, of a section of the human brain.

B. David Zarley

Agriculture

Disease-resistant banana created with CRISPR

African scientists have used CRISPR to create a disease-resistant banana that is indistinguishable from unmodified plants.

Kristin Houser

Biology

Microscopic animals revived after 24,000 years in permafrost

A multicellular animal called the bdelloid rotifer has used cryptobiosis to survive in the Siberian permafrost for at least 24,000 years.

Kristin Houser

Neuroscience

What happens when your brain imagines the future?

Research out of the University of Pennsylvania suggests imagining the future is a two-brain region job.

B. David Zarley

Medicine

"Light-shrinking" material cranks normal microscopes up to 11

Researchers have developed a light-shrinking slide coating that allows light microscopes to image in “super-resolution.”

B. David Zarley

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