At the microscopic edge of biology, researchers have uncovered an organism so stripped down that it forces a rethink of what it means to be alive. The discovery hints at a form of existence that is ...

For the first time, a team of scientists has created a synthetic single-celled organism that can divide and grow like a regular living cell. This breakthrough could lead to designer cells that can ...

Life’s story may stretch further back than scientists once thought. Some genes found in nearly every organism today were already duplicated before all life shared a common ancestor. By tracking these ...

This article was originally featured on The Conversation. Life and death are traditionally viewed as opposites. But the emergence of new multicellular life-forms from the cells of a dead organism ...

Viruses attack nearly every living organism on Earth. To do so, they rely on highly specialized proteins that recognize and ...

What are Living Modified Organisms (LMOs)? Living Modified Organisms (LMOs) are organisms whose genetic material has been altered using modern biotechnology techniques, such as genetic engineering.

Scientists now believe life began long before LUCA. Older organisms, now vanished, passed on vital genetic tools. These ...

Microplastics are starting to turn up in all kinds of places, from the heights of Mount Everest, to the sea ice in the Antarctic, to the organs and tissues of the human body. In an effort to better ...