The unanswered questions about sex, love, and pregnancy in space could shape the future of humanity more than we think.

The ocean is evolving, and it’s not based on the ‘survival of the fittest.’ Astrobiologist Betül Kaçar explains how it’s not competition that has kept the ocean alive, but collaboration.

In "The Microbiome Master Key," Brett and Jessica Finlay argue that we need to stop waging war on all germs and start working with the microbes that make us who we are.

We may be close to finding life beyond Earth. But would we even recognize it if we did? Astrobiologist Betül Kaçar explains what signs NASA is looking for.

These microbes endured the unlivable. The NASA astrobiologist who studies them reveals what that means for us today

Motility was suggested as a promising "biosignature" as early as the 1960s, but the technology was insufficient — until now.

Scientists might be looking for Martian life in the wrong place.

A long view of biological survival might point us to new possibilities for finding life elsewhere in the Universe.

In a recent paper, biologists outlined a three-part hypothesis for how all life as we know it began.

We don’t yet know if these strange “obelisks” are helpful or harmful.

Although early Earth was a molten hellscape, once it cooled, life arose almost immediately. That original chain of life remains unbroken.

New DNA analyses raise questions over the theory that Christopher Columbus and his men brought syphilis to Europe.

Five new places scientists have uncovered plastics.

Growing evidence suggests a link between the debilitating neurological illness and the microbes that live in our intestines. The vagus nerve may be a pathway.

These nematodes complicate how we understand evolutionary lineages.

The problem with carnivores turned omnivores.

Scientists agree that eons ago, a bacterium took up residence inside another cell and became its powerhouse, the mitochondrion. But there are competing theories about the birth of other organelles such as the nucleus and endoplasmic reticulum.

AI is helping us replace petrochemicals with natural enzymes.

Researchers estimate there may be as many as ten million trillion trillion phages on Earth — that's 10 with 30 zeros after it.

In one experiment, the Viking landers added water to Martian soil samples. That might have been a very bad idea.

"The only options left were experimental approaches in clinical trials."

Embark on a journey through one of the most profound ecological transitions in the history of complex life.

A secret to a long, healthy life may lie in the diversity of gut viruses, which can supercharge bacterial metabolism and resist disease.

Striking differences in the composition of the gut microbiome suggest that fermented food could help those suffering from anorexia.

To protect yourself, you need an antifungal rather than an amulet.

Beer's flavor begins to change as soon as it is packaged. Are cans or bottles better at preserving flavor?

The road to intelligent life is a series of hard steps.

Gum disease begins in the mouth but spreads to the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis is just one of several diseases linked to poor oral health.

From the bedside to the lab bench, here’s how laboratory testing works.

Some microbes can withstand Earth's most inhospitable corners, hinting that life may be able to survive similarly extreme conditions on other worlds.