The New York Times, November 14, 2019

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If you’ve ever noticed a slimy film of algae on a rock, chances are you didn’t pay it much attention. But some of these overlooked species hold clues to one of the greatest mysteries of evolution, scientists have found: how plants arrived on land.

On Thursday, researchers published the genomes of two algae that are among the closest known living relatives of land plants. They already had some of the key genes that plants would need to thrive on dry land.

Intriguingly, the authors of the new study find that the forerunners of plants gained some of their ability to survive on land by grabbing genes from other species — specifically, from bacteria.

Continue reading “How Did Plants Conquer Land? These Humble Algae Hold Clues” →

The New York Times, November 6, 2019

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Humans have spread a contagious form of cancer around the world.

Researchers reported on Tuesday that the cancer, which invades mussels, has spread across the Equator. Originating in one species in the Northern Hemisphere, the cancer has established itself in another species in the Southern Hemisphere.

“There’s no natural explanation for how that happened without human help,” said Michael Metzger, a biologist at the Pacific Northwest Research Institute in Seattle and a co-author of the report, published in the journal eLife.

Continue reading “Humans Shipped an Awful Cargo Across the Seas: Cancer” →

The New York Times, October 24, 2019

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Evolutionary biologists retrace the history of life in all its wondrous forms. Some search for the origin of our species. Others hunt for the origin of birds.

On Thursday, a team of researchers reported an important new insight into the origin of zombies — in this case, ants zombified by a fungus.

Here’s how it works: Sometimes an ant, marching about its business outdoors, will step on a fungal spore. It sticks to the ant’s body and slips a fungal cell inside.

Continue reading “After This Fungus Turns Ants Into Zombies, Their Bodies Explode” →