There’s a biological reason; it’s not just for ambiance in cowboy Westerns. — Tumbleweeds are familiar to anyone who’s a fan of Westerns, the classic cowboy movies. A grizzled man strolls through the desert, spurs clinking on his boots, eyes squinting from beneath the wide brim of a dusty hat. …

There’s more reasons to create Jurassic Park than for the tourists. — Long before we discovered genetics, we’ve always been fascinated with the idea of extinct species. We’ve come across their bones, tried to reconstruct how these creatures looked, and written stories about what they would be like if they returned to life. Most of us think of Jurassic Park, the bestselling…

What this means for antibiotic resistance and the rise of superbugs — By most modern measures, bacteria are not considered to be very smart. They can’t even hold a pencil, much less pass a standardized test. …

Another bit of evidence that shows humans actually aren’t very good at reproducing — Babies are adorable. As a new parent, I can confidently say that, despite the explosive pooping, the random bouts of crying, and the inability to help with filing their tax forms, they are incredibly cute, especially in tiny footie pajamas. But babies are also a challenge. Along with sleepless nights…

Research suggests the answer is yes. Is a probiotic going to be the long-awaited male birth control pill? — Birth control and pregnancy are definitely hot-button topics these days. There’s a lot of debate about how we define life, who is in full control, and bodily autonomy. It’s a minefield, so I’m not going to discuss it. Instead, I want to talk about the frustrating fact that there’s no…

A new study dives into the benefits — and limitations — of gut supplements — Whenever I get asked about what probiotic is best to take, my answer is always the same: “The best probiotic choice you can make is a salad.” I get asked this question a fair amount; I have a PhD in genetics, focusing on studying the gut microbiome — the collection…

How these additives could contribute to throwing our guts out of whack — or even making us sick — Shelf stability is a great thing, these days. We’re able to keep food for a much longer time, able to enjoy a wide variety of flavors and components at almost any time of the year. …

A website that is only open during business hours? Here’s the likely reason for this craziness. — It feels like the ultimate Kafkaesque expression of government bureaucracy: the United States’ Social Security Administration (SSA) website has listed hours when it is open. If you try to access the secure post-login portion of the SSA website (known as My Social Security account, at ssa.gov) outside of these hours…

For some of us, the struggles of our parents may literally be in our DNA — Trauma and stress is not a one-time thing. For survivors of intense events, such as the September 11 terrorist attacks, that trauma can linger for years, causing chronic stress and leading to other health problems. That’s bad enough for parents. But what if someone has children after being in a…