The transition from non-life to life was very likely aided by an asteroid hitting Earth, prebiotic chemistry, molecular ...

Some single-celled organisms are known to transition to multicellularity during their lifetimes, usually either by cloning themselves or when many similar cells come together to form a larger ...

Scientists have spent decades cataloging life on Earth’s surface, from rainforest canopies to ocean trenches. But a growing body of research now shows that a vast, hidden biosphere thrives kilometers ...

Innovations in imaging and genetic engineering are coming together to probe the biophysics of cytoplasm inside living animals.

For 165 years, the giant fossil Prototaxites taiti puzzled scientists. Standing 26 feet tall, it may belong to an unknown ...

Researchers reveal Prototaxites, a giant Devonian fossil, was not a fungus or plant but a unique extinct lineage.

Knowing which genes are responsible for the transformations could help with developing antifungal treatments, and may have ...

Scientists in Japan have discovered a previously unknown giant virus, offering new insight into this enigmatic category of viruses – and possibly also into the origins of multicellular life. The virus ...

As organisms develop from embryos, groups of cells migrate and reshape themselves to form all manner of complex tissues. There are no anatomical molds shaped like lungs, livers or other tissues for ...

Scientists at Nagoya University in Japan have identified the genes that allow an organism to switch between living as single cells and forming multicellular structures. This ability to alternate ...

During early development, tissues and organs begin to form through the shifting, splitting, and growing of many thousands of cells. A team of researchers headed by MIT engineers has now developed a ...