All complex biological systems—like the DNA, RNA and proteins constantly being copied and built within our cells—are prone to errors. That means as life evolved to be more elaborate, it also had to ...

Researchers have created a method called optovolution that uses light to guide the evolution of proteins with dynamic behaviors. By engineering yeast cells so their survival depended on proteins ...

Biologists are closing in on a puzzle that seems to turn classic evolutionary logic inside out, yet may be so common that it deserves to be called a new rule of life. Instead of always purging harmful ...

EPFL researchers have developed a light-based method that can produce proteins that switch states, respond to signals, and even compute, using light and the cell cycle.

In this computer simulation of a self-replicating structure, the pink square represents the signal to degrade the connection between the "parent" structure (left) and its "offspring" (right). This ...

The evolution of eukaryotic cells represents one of the most pivotal transitions in the history of life, marked by the emergence of cellular compartmentalisation and increased complexity. Central to ...

It may have fewer than many of the other sciences, but biology does have two dozen or so “rules”—broad generalizations about the behavior or nature and evolution. Now, USC researchers want to add a ...

Evolution is a complicated thing. Much of modern evolutionary biology seeks to reconcile the seeming randomness of the forces behind the process — how mutations occur, for example — with the ...

Why does natural selection appear to happen slowly on long timescales and quickly on short ones? A multigenerational study of four lizard species addresses biology’s “paradox of stasis.” James Stroud ...

Humans don’t have a defined mating season like deer or wolves. Here’s how evolution blended biology, culture and social life into year-round intimacy.

Surprising animal behaviors, from birds to amphibians, are revealing deep biological processes. Scientists are uncovering how viruses manipulate cells, how the immune system balances defense, and how ...