Biology
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Big brains, big math scores
Genes could be the reason you’re a natural – or not.
A gene called ROBO1 helps brain development, which can also lead to higher math scores, according to new German resea...
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Healthy bacteria thrive in gut before birth
Microbiota help healthy foetuses grow.
Micro-organisms in the gut microbiome begin growing in foetuses as early as five months, new research shows. In a ...
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Cancer-killing T cells ‘swarm’ to tumours
Chemical signals attract others to the fight.
When immune system T cells find and recognise a target, they release chemicals to attract more T cells which then swa...
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New clues as to why we often don’t see things
Travelling brain waves may both help and hinder.
Next time you can’t find the car keys sitting right in front of you, try blaming your “travelling brain waves”. Sc...
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The value of cellular self-sacrifice
An ancient organism’s ways similar to our own
Scientists have uncovered how one of the oldest and simplest animals on Earth sacrifices its own cells for the benefi...
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Conversation
Shedding new light on how males develop
Researchers find a missing gene fragment
By Peter Koopman, University of Queensland It’s one of the most important genes in biology: “Sry”, the gene that m...
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I’d know those finger veins anywhere
Researchers up the ante on biometric authentication.
Forget fingerprints or facial features. Your veins could become the go-to for secure ID and authentication. "The 3...
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Conversation
There’s no single gene for left-handedness
At least 41 regions of DNA are involved.
By David Evans, University of Queensland, and Sarah Medland, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute Most peop...
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Magazine
Inside Biology's Black Box
New device is shedding fresh light on human development.
This article from the March issue of Cosmos has been shortlisted for the 2020 Eureka Prize for Long-Form Science Jour...
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The fine detail of a healthy heart
Researchers create unique cellular and molecular map.
Scientists have taken another step in the quest to create a “Google map of the human body” by putting together a deta...
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Fleming’s famous mould revisited
Scientists sequence genome of the original Penicillium.
British scientists have sequenced the genome of Alexander Fleming's famous penicillin mould for – surprisingly – the ...
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How our brains make educated guesses
Cells work together to combine memories, study shows.
British scientists say they have identified how cells in the brain work together to combine memories of separate expe...