Scientists are trying to understand how complex life emerged on Earth about 2 billion years ago. Our microbial ancestors could be the key.

Around 1.7 billion years ago, eukaryotes—the building blocks of complex life—first appeared on Earth, and now scientists have ...

The idea that life can spread from world to world dates as far back as ancient Greece and the philosopher Anaxagoras.

Bacteria that live in our mouths and intestines can 'disarm' the proteins that trigger allergic reactions to peanuts, a new study has found. Giving people with severe peanut allergies a hefty boost of ...

Using advanced DNA sequence analysis, a research team has discovered that tiny organisms in Brooklyn's highly contaminated Gowanus Canal have developed a comprehensive collection of pollution-fighting ...

Sift through your memories and excavate an image of a fossil. Maybe you’re picturing dinosaur bones, the imprint of an ammonite, or the fronds of a fern etched into stone. But there’s a whole other ...

Clean energy technologies are colliding with a hard geological limit: the world needs far more copper, lithium, manganese and rare earth elements than conventional mines are currently delivering. At ...

The microbes living in sourdough starters don’t just appear by chance—they’re shaped by what bakers feed them. New research shows that while the same hardy yeast tends to dominate sourdough starters ...

New research shows that dog microbes can alter human brain chemistry to increase empathy and social bonding. Discover why ...