Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story: Single-celled organisms aren’t often associated with complex functioning, but a new study suggests that at least some protists exhibit what’s known ...

Most of us have been in a public toilet that makes us think twice about using it. Even when the space looks clean, you may still wonder if there's a risk sitting bare bum where many others have.

Scientists have just discovered hundreds of new giant viruses, in a comprehensive study covering oceans across the globe. The team behind the study, marine biologist Benjamin Minch and virologist ...

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily. Each year, in late spring and early summer, female sea turtles will crawl out of the ...

Oddly, origami could be useful for snagging prey. The finding could help inspire new robotics, such as tools for microsurgery that can extend and contract inside small body cavities. Seeing L. olor’s ...

The best copywriting makes an emotional connection that leaves your audience craving more. How can you make this sort of memorable impression on your target audience? The slogans and jingles used by ...

Perhaps the most fundamental conflict in nature occurs when one organism consumes another. Diet generalists benefit from the advantage of eating many prey but then must deal with many prey defenses.

Mitochondria are very well known as the powerhouses of the cell. Generally speaking, all eukaryotes, including plants, fungi, and animals, are made of cells that contain mitochondria. These organelles ...

Protists, a broad class of generally single-celled organisms that includes algae and amoebae, have long been regarded as a "catch-all" category for diverse microorganisms. Because of their diversity ...

A novel type of “jumping gene” may explain why the genomes of complex cells aren’t all equally stuffed with noncoding sequences. All animals, plants, fungi and protists — which collectively make up ...

The following is an extract from our nature newsletter Wild Wild Life. Sign up to receive it for free in your inbox every month. New Scientist recently reported on something I’d never heard of before: ...