It's still very hard to define life, but science has made great strides toward revealing many of its characteristics and processes. Here are some basics about the most complex phenomenon we know: life's origin, characteristics, structure, and states of animacy.
Advanced Research on the Origin of Life
Two young scientists at the famous Jack Szostak Lab explain research issues
Antarctic Fishes: Models for Climate Change and Human Disease
How the unique "antifreeze" blood and skeletal mutations of the Antarctic Icefishes provide insights into both climate change adaptations and human disease
Conservation Lessons from Ice-Age Extinctions
Was there a human factor in the Ice Age extinctions of large mammals?
Earth Life and Weird Life
The compelling search for entirely new forms of life elsewhere in our solar system and the universe
Enigmas of Life: Getting It Started and Becoming Complex
An investigation of the two major questions about the origin of life, and their relevance in search for life elsewhere in the universe
Evolution and Environmental Toxins
A toxicologist explains why some organisms thrive in an environment that endangers most species
Exploring the Dark Matter of the Microbial World
All life depends on a microbial foundation. So does development of new antibiotics. But 99 percent of microbes are unknown.
How DNA is Folded in Cells and Why it Matters
How DNA is folded in the cell may shed light on cancer and other diseases
How the Brain Produces Language --and What Can Go Wrong
The science of neural networks reveals the awesome complexity of normal speech production and also brings help for language disorders.
Infant Fossil Teeth: Clues to Ancient Human Development
Ancient infant teeth reveal the importance of weaning patterns in human evolution
Leaving It Up to Chance: How Cells Make Decisions
Cells make decisions that turn out to be random. Professor Kondev explains the implications of that surprising discovery.
Reconstructing Evolution: A Molecular Time Machine
Tracing ancient genetic changes through extinctions and speciation events to reconstruct our DNA history
Scale-Free Complex Networks: Albert-László Barabási, Ph.D.
a visit to the Barabási Lab at Northeastern University to learn how scale-free complex networks affect scientific perspectives
Searching for Bio-Molecules
At the Summons Lab, scientists probe soil and rock samples from both ancient Earth and Mars for bio-molecules
Self-Defense Mechanisms of the Cell
The cell's self-defense repair kit against hereditary, environmental, and other threats
"Shocking" News from Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents
In probably the most extreme environmment on Earth, organisms are thriving. Peter Girguis explains how.....
Sustaining Life: Biodiversity and Human Health
How the unprecedented loss of biodiversity impacts human health
The Co-Evolution of Organisms and Their Environments
Reconstructing the relationship between biological evolution and geology, climate, environment
The Evolution of Photosynthesis
How photosynthesis --and life-- emerged in Earth's ancient chemical environment
The Human Genome Project
The challenge for genomic studies today is how to manage the vast collection of data
The Jurassic Genome
Genetic material in ancient fossils yields an amazing profile of extinct organisms
The Potential Uses of Deep-Sea Microbes
A leader in the study of exotic microbes at hydrothermal vents explains the significance and the potential of these life forms
Understanding How Life Began
Molecules in meteorites met with an optimal chemical environment on Earth
Using Genetics to Trace Human History
An explanation of how modern genetics analysis confirms ancient human migrations, such as the Indo-Europeans
What Happened to the Honeybees?
The decimation of honeybee colonies is also a public health warning about pesticides
