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Off with their heads. Light-averse planarian flatworms, known for their incredible ability to regenerate lost body parts, shy away from light even after they have been decapitated. This suggests they have evolved a second way to respond to light that doesn't involve eyes. Planarian flatworms, which often live in dark, watery environments shielded from direct light, don't have complex eyes like we do. But many do have two lensless, primitive "eyespots" on their heads that can detect the intensity of light.

Exposing mice to long periods of light each day led them to put on fat, likely because their energy-burning brown fat wasn't in good shape.  Mice exposed to long periods of light didn't eat more or exercise less than mice that kept to a 12-hour day, but their brown fat activity dropped, researchers reported in PNAS this week (May 11).

Learn how the light dependent and light independent cycles work together to create glucose for plants. We'll also explain why this is so important for humans! Get ready to start cooking with photosynthesis.

hat is color blindness? A color festival. No. Color blindness or color deficiency is a vision problem. Now, our eyes have light sensitive cells called rods and cones. Can I put ice cream on these cones? You are just unbelievable. Rods are responsible for black and white vision. They do not detect color. Whereas, cones detect color. There are three types of cones. One cone perceives red light, another perceives green and the third perceives blue. Together, these cones help us to see the whole spectrum of colors. Now in some cases, when one or more types of cones do not work properly, it causes color blindness. People with such deficiency have difficulty in distinguishing between certain colors or shades. For example, in red-green color blindness, the apple tree may appear like this.

our circadian rhythm can be interrupted from the light emitted from your phone, but how? What is it doing to your brain? What Sleep Deprivation Does To Your Body - https://youtu.be/lfmy0d9oWt8

In the deep, dark ocean, many sea creatures make their own light for hunting, mating and self-defense. Bioluminescence expert Edith Widder was one of the first to film this glimmering world. At TED2011, she brings some of her glowing friends onstage, and shows more astonishing footage of glowing undersea life.

It's often said that despite humanity's many conflicts, we all bleed the same blood. It's a nice thought, but not quite accurate. In fact, our blood comes in a few different varieties. Natalie S. Hodge defines the four major blood types and sheds light on why some bloods can mix while others cannot.

In this video Paul Andersen explains how the chloroplast in plants harnesses power from the Sun to form high energy molecules like glucose. The structure of a chloroplast as well as a brief discussion of the light reaction and Calvin cycle are included.

We see color because of specialized light-sensing cells in our eyes called cones. One type, L-cones, sees the reds of strawberries and fire trucks; M-cones detect green leaves, and S-cones let us know the sky is blue. But vision scientists have now discovered that not all cones sense color (see video).

In short, you have an aura, except it isn't made of purplish light; it's your personal cloud of dead skin cells, fungus and many, many microbes. And researchers are learning to be able to identify you by it.

This interrupted case study, designed for an introductory biology or environmental science course, introduces students to the complexity of ecosystems by examining changes in trophic interactions and abiotic factors in a freshwater ecosystem as a result of human actions. The case narrative describes the recent and undesirable appearance of decomposing algae (Cladophora glomerata) on a public beach in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Students are asked to use the scientific method by creating hypotheses and examining observational data to describe biotic and abiotic components of the Great Lakes ecosystem. The case requires students to differentiate between benthic and pelagic environments (e.g., the influence of depth and phytoplankton density on light availability, and the availability of phosphorus) and the interactions between organisms in both environments. Students also examine shifts in these interactions as a result of the newly introduced zebra and quagga mussels, which have ultimately resulted in the algae's presence on the beach. There are also opportunities to discuss the impact of these ecosystem changes on people who own property and/or visit the beach.

A soft brush that feels like prickly thorns. A vibrating tuning fork that produces no vibration. Not being able to tell which direction body joints are moving without looking at them. Those are some of the bizarre sensations reported by a 9-year-old girl and 19-year-old woman in a new study. The duo, researchers say, shares an extremely rare genetic mutation that may shed light on a so-called "sixth sense" in humans: proprioception, or the body's awareness of where it is in space. The new work may even explain why some of us are klutzier than others.

It's peak cold and flu season, and mucus is making many of our lives miserable. But despite being a little icky, phlegm gets a bad rap. This germ-fighting goo contains cells and chemical compounds that help us power through a cold. You can also think of mucus as a traffic light for your health - what turns up in our used tissues can be a useful clue about the inner workings of our immune systems.

Healthy plants reflect more near-infrared light than stressed plants, so bright red indicates dense, growing foliage. For this reason, biologists and ecologists occasionally use infrared cameras to photograph forests. 

As benign as it may look up close, the tiny seaweed Caulerpa taxifolia can wreak quite a bit of havoc on coastal ecosystems. This super algae is very adaptable; it also grows fast and spreads easily. Eric Noel Muñoz gives the details of this plant's incredible invasion, shedding light on the risks of introducing invasive species into new ecosystems.

Virtual lab investigate effects of different colors of light on plant growht

A researcher has gathered a piece of evidence that helps shed light on the evolutionary transition from soft-bodied animals with no well-defined heads to hard-bodied animals that sported heads. The clue comes from one of the oldest fossilized brains ever found-a more than 500 million-year-old specimen of the Cambrian arthropod Odaraia alata found in western Canada.

9:14 video Have you ever wondered how life first got started on Earth? So do scientists! Though the question has not yet been fully answered, a careful study of Chemical Evolution is beginning to shed light on this mystery. In this film you will learn what Chemical Evolution is, how it works, and how it is different from Biological Evolution.

Research on a modified protein around which DNA is wrapped sheds light on how gene regulation is linked to aging and longevity in nematodes, fruit flies and possibly humans. The research has implications for how gene expression is regulated, and could offer a new drug target for age-related diseases.

Scientists have long pondered how exactly life began here on Earth. Now, new research sheds light on Earth's creation, and the findings are not what you'd expect!