How to Clone a Mammoth

By Gabriel Thompson May 15, 2015 If we could bring back extinct species, should we? This is one of the questions explored by Beth Shapiro, an evolutionary biologist who takes the fantastic to a higher level with her new book, "How to Clone a Mammoth: The Science of De-Extinction." Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

Study: Human Evolution Has Not Slowed Down

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Mar 27, 2015 The largest ever genetics study of a single population suggests that humans are evolving faster than scientists previously thought. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Why Did a Woman Let Bedbugs Bite Her Over 85,000 Times?

Natasha Hakimi Zapata / Truthdig Jan 10, 2015 There's a reason scientists are often called "mad," and biologist Regine Gries certainly did her best to earn the moniker. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Preferences for High Masculinity and Femininity May Be Peculiar to Modern Societies

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Dec 7, 2014 A new survey of 12 populations around the world challenges the commonly held assumption that human beings naturally prefer highly masculine men and highly feminine women. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Yawning: Puzzler of the Ages

Kasia Anderson / Truthdig Aug 13, 2014 Hippocrates took a crack at it, postulating that this mysterious activity was designed to flush harmful air from the body. Cut to the 19th century, when that notion lost traction. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

The Sixth Extinction

Louise Rubacky / Truthdig Jul 26, 2014 Many now-extinct species had traits that were advantageous for millions of years, until some change made them lethal. Mostly, Homo sapiens are that change. Dig deeper ( 7 Min. Read )

Save Us From Our Frankensteins, Genome-Editing Scientists Urge

Staff / Truthdig Jul 19, 2014 A new laboratory technique enables biologists to "edit" the genetic makeup of entire species for purposes ranging from the benevolent to the nefarious, with the "potential to cause ecological mayhem," Antonio Regalado reports in MIT Technology Review. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Can This Machine Tell If You’re Liberal or Conservative by Looking Into Your Eyes?

Natasha Hakimi Zapata / Truthdig Apr 5, 2014 Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Men: The Weaker Sex?

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Feb 20, 2014 "We can, thankfully, remove one threat to the future existence of the human male from our worry list," Alice Shabecoff writes at Environmental Health News via Scientific American. "The male Y chromosome, after dwindling from its original robust size over millions of years, apparently has halted its disappearing act." Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Scientists Manipulate Cells With Computerized DNA

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Mar 31, 2013 Researchers at Stanford University used genetic material to develop substances akin to "biological computers" that can monitor and possibly one day take control of cells into which they've been injected. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

A Trojan Horse for Creationism

By Zack Kopplin Mar 8, 2013 Everyone agrees that our students should learn how to think critically, but the misnamed and misguided Louisiana Science Education Act subverts that goal by sneaking creationism and other pseudo-science into public school science classrooms.Everyone agrees that our students should learn how to think critically, but the Louisiana Science Education Act subverts that goal by sneaking creationism into public school science classrooms. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Truthdigger of the Week: Zack Kopplin

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Dec 23, 2012 Reason has a new friend: 19-year-old Zack Kopplin played a crucial role in getting the Orleans Parish School Board to ban creationism from its campuses. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )