Jaspreet Sanghera, Biology and Life Sciences editor When was the last time you had the stomach flu, had your wisdom teeth removed, or had an ear infection? Most likely, you received an antibiotic, a type of antimicrobial drug designed to either prevent or treat bacterial infections. Alexander Fleming’s initial discovery of penicillin in 1928 brought […]
Biology and Life Sciences
Let sleeping owls lie: What’s behind the morning lark, night owl sleep patterns
Jaspreet Sanghera, Biology & Life Sciences editor You prefer to get up at dawn and are raring to go by the time most people are just rolling out of bed. This means that you are in bed by 10 P.M. But your new neighbours are up half the night moving around their apartment, disrupting your […]
Ecosystem services: Determining the full value of the land
Jenna Finley, Biology & Life Sciences editor On January 5, 2021, researchers at the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative and the universities of British Columbia, Carleton, and McGill released a ground-breaking study that expands our understanding of ecosystem services. Ecosystem services are important but overlooked aspects of conservation and protection research. Ecosystem services are […]
Life on the extreme edge: Microbes in astrobiology
Nada Salem, Chemistry editor Our most resilient organisms, emerging from the coldest reaches of the Earth, are essential avenues of research in astrobiology. They model what life might look like in the harshest corners of the solar system and allow us to test the survival limits of terrestrial life. How do these fascinating organisms help […]
The pandemic we’re not talking about: What’s going on with honeybees?
Jenna Finley, Biology & Life Sciences editor Over the last few months, humanity has been grappling with COVID-19 and trying to reduce the spread of this devastating virus. But we aren’t the only ones dealing with a deadly pandemic. For the past 20 years, wild and domestic honeybees have been suffering from the effects of […]