IB Biology in the News

Obnoxious insurance commercials notwithstanding, the gecko has contributed a fair amount to human culture. In particular, scientists have long been fascinated by the reptiles' foot pads, which give them the remarkable ability to climb on walls and ceilings.

The National Institutes of Health have a budget of approximately $31 billion. Within the NIH there is a center that uses taxpayer money to fund all sorts of studies on New Age therapies - the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). Below are just a some of the questionable [...]

Scientists in the US have created embryos with genes from one man and two women, using a provocative technique that someday could be used to prevent babies from inheriting certain rare incurable diseases. The researchers at Oregon Health & Sciences University said they are not using the embryos to produce children, and it is not clear when or even if the technique will be put to use.

By Jonathan Allen NEW YORK, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Pollution from factories and mines is putting the health of 125 million people at risk worldwide and is as dangerous in the developing world as malaria or tuberculosis, according to a report published on Tuesday by two environmental advocacy groups.

An artist's concept of NASA's Curiosity rover searching for interesting samples on the Martian surface. CREDIT: NASA/ JPL-Caltech There's growing buzz about data gleaned by NASA's Mars rover Curiosity, specifically over the issue of methane detection on the Red Planet. On one hand, methane can be geological in origin.

In hotter climate, rice poses methane risk - Holy Kaw!

Drinking Water: A History by James Salzman Overlook Press, 2012 (($27.95)) Salzman's account of drinking water makes the liquid seem as mythic as the fountain of youth. He explores the engineering, politics and health implications surrounding humans' quest for water, as well as the toxins and changing climate that threaten our supply.

Or is it just ass-covering? Because this is a terrifying level of ignorance (boldface mine): In more than 30 cities, BioWatch samplers located atop buildings, in train stations and in other public places suck air through dry filters around the clock.

"What would you do with a brain if you had one?" Dorothy's question to the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz elicited one of the movie's most delightful songs, in which her straw-filled friend assured her that, among other things, he could "think of things I'd never thunk before." But...

Zoos are inherently bizarre. The sheer thrill of seeing strange and exotic beasts is often tempered by the reality of the strange and artificial environments they're kept in, raising the question: Can they really be happy hanging out in those habitats?