SFI Omidyar Fellow Rogier Braakman, in a commentary in PNAS, reviews two scientists' recent progress in simulating prebiotic chemistry at deep-sea hydrothermal vents and puts the research in the context of what we know, and ...
Biochemistry
Aug 23, 2013
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Modern proteins exhibit an impressive degree of structural diversity, which has been well characterized, but very little is known about how and when over the course of evolution 3D protein structures arose. In a study published ...
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 8, 2013
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A new way to look at cancer—by tracing its deep evolutionary roots to the dawn of multicellularity more than a billion years ago—has been proposed by Paul Davies of Arizona State University's Beyond Center for Fundamental ...
General Physics
Jul 12, 2013
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(Phys.org) —Mass DNA sequencing has led to a better knowledge of marine micro-organisms in their environment and helps to discover new genes of interests. However, it is only part of the answer for biotech applications.
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 27, 2013
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How is it that a complex organism evolves from a pile of dead matter? How can lifeless materials become organic molecules that are the bricks of animals and plants? Scientists have been trying to answer these questions for ...
Materials Science
Jun 25, 2013
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(Phys.org) —Scientists may not know for certain whether life exists in outer space, but new research from a team of scientists led by a University of South Florida astrobiologist now shows that one key element that produced ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 4, 2013
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(Phys.org) —Scientists have created the first global topographic map of Saturn's moon Titan, giving researchers a valuable tool for learning more about one of the most Earth-like and interesting worlds in the solar system. ...
Space Exploration
May 15, 2013
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From encouraging the first steps of life migrating from the oceans to the land, to stabilising Earth's axial tilt against chaotic excursions, the moon is often put forth almost as a magical ingredient – a prerequisite for ...
Space Exploration
Mar 29, 2013
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The "chemical garden," a school classroom chemistry experiment, in which beautiful plant-like structures sprout in a test tube, has become the linchpin for real-world scientific experiments that aim to shed light on the origins ...
Other
Mar 20, 2013
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Diverse underground ecosystems buried deep beneath the Earth's crust may offer clues to the origins of life on Earth, several recent studies have revealed.
Earth Sciences
Mar 16, 2013
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