In the nineteenth century, research in the natural and life sciences was largely self-supported. Charles Darwin had the good fortune of being born into a wealthy family, enabling him to pursue his ...

Haley Mast is a freelance writer, fact-checker, and small organic farmer in the Columbia River Gorge. She enjoys gardening, reporting on environmental topics, and spending her time outside ...

Do-It-Yourself biotechnology, or DIY bio, evokes strong feelings, both for and against such activities. On one side is the argument that the proliferation has made sophisticated technology available ...

Biological research and experimentation is no longer the sole realm of Ph.D-having, grant-backed, hypothesis-wielding scientists. As science moves into more and more complex territory, it is also — ...

In the avalanche of research being generated on the human microbiome, it’s important to take a step back and think about the many basic facts of the system that we don’t know anything about. One ...

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American When I first began making bread, the science ...