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Living World

The clock is ticking: How epigenetics could help save wildlife from collapse

In polar bears, dolphins, baboons and more, molecular signatures of aging are changing how conservationists assess population health, resilience and risk

Shucking the past: Can oysters thrive again?

Dredging and pollution devastated the once-bountiful reefs. Careful science may help bring them back.

Using pollen to make paper, sponges and more

Reengineered, the powdery stuff could become a range of eco-friendly objects

How the cavefish lost its eyes — again and again

Mexican tetras that got swept into pitch-black caverns had no use for the energetically costly organs. They lost their eyes in multiple ways — and gained some nifty traits too.

Dogs and their people: Companions in cancer research

Canine and human cancers bear many similarities — studies in dogs are helping to develop treatments for both species

Worm-inspired treatments inch toward the clinic

Infection by certain wrigglers may reduce inflammation and fight obesity and diabetes. Scientists are at work to turn the findings into therapies.

The history of the ocean, as told by tiny beautiful fossils

Bountiful remains of foraminifera reveal how organisms responded to climate disturbances of the past. They can help predict the future, too.

How farmers can help rescue water-loving birds

Cranes, sandpipers, ducks, geese and many other waterbirds have lost essential rest stops along their seasonal migration routes. Bird-friendly agriculture can assist in filling the gaps.

Viruses that roam the fungal kingdom

Mushrooms and other fungi can harbor hidden companions — and some of these may fight pesky or dangerous molds

Getting along with grizzly bears

In rural Alaskan and Canadian communities, reducing conflict between people and their wild neighbors means both species must change their behavior

Weird and wondrous sea cucumbers

These spiny or slimy ocean creatures display an astonishing diversity of appearances, behaviors and lifestyles. Many are increasingly threatened.

Rotten tricks: How hot and stinky plants woo pollinators

To attract insects, thermogenic plants turn up the heat, emit strong odors and even disguise themselves as corpses

The surprisingly tricky art of seed banking

To safeguard threatened plants, science must unravel the hidden biology of often-persnickety seeds as they age, sleep and awaken

Ghost forests are growing as sea levels rise

As trees choked by saltwater die along low-lying coasts, marshes may move in — for better or worse, scientists are learning

At the dawn of life, did metabolism come first?

Some scientists propose that in the beginning, geochemistry gave way to biochemistry — with no genetic material necessary. Only later did RNA and DNA appear.

How cancer cells travel to new tissues and take hold

Understanding these astonishing migrations through the human body, known as metastases, could suggest novel treatments

Meet the capuchin monkey: Curious, creative and vengeful

UCLA’s Susan Perry has devoted decades to studying the fast-motion life of these New World primates and learning how the young acquire the skills they need to thrive

The teeming life of dead trees

Rotting logs turn out to be vital to forest biodiversity and recycling organic matter

Return of the California condor

North America’s largest bird disappeared from the wild in the late 1980s. Reintroduction work in the United States and Mexico has brought this huge vulture back to the skies. This is the story of its comeback.

Why scientists are enlisting fungi to save endangered plants

The mycorrhizae that live among and in plant roots can boost the health of certain species, and even whole ecosystems — but scientists warn against a one-size-fits-all approach

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