"We'll soon be able to combine this information with data at molecular level. And then, who knows? Perhaps we'll be able to identify exactly which genes make the flycatcher a... flycatcher!"  Read more

"In ten years, the complete 'Tree of Life' will be finished and we'll have a complete map of life's family history. Then we can begin to understand why certain life forms died out while others went on evolving."  Read more

Joy, grief, gnawing anxiety... We have a rich spectrum of emotions which we often see as opposites to our ability to be rational. Why has evolution provided us with these apparently irrational 'disturbances'? What's the point of feelings?  Read more

Is man an image of God or is God a human invention? Leaving aside whether you're a believer or not, it's interesting to ask why so many people believe in God. Can we learn anything from biology?  Read more

Asked "what is a human being?" a biologist will answer "99% ape and 1% unknown". Only one single percent of our genetic material differentiates us from our nearest relative in the animal world, the chimpanzee. The latest research shows that this vital little one percent has to do with the brain...  Read more

In the movies, smart robots at our beck and call are a commonplace. So why is it taking so long to get there in reality? When will it be just as natural to have a pet robot as to have a pet animal? And what can we learn about biological life when we design artificial life?  Read more

What is it that makes you resemble your parents? How does the bear know when it's time to hibernate? What makes flowers of the same species bloom at the same time? Modern evolutionary biology is an exciting research field which will eventually help us answer many of the questions that puzzle us.  Read more

All living things are related – some more closely than others. You are actually closer to the mushrooms on your plate than to the lettuce! You can see this if you study the amount of difference and similarity in our genes. Just now, biologists are mapping a common family tree for all life on Earth.  Read more

What did the late Pope John Paul II have in common with former world boxing champion Mohammed Ali and actor Michel J Fox? Answer: Parkinson's disease. New stem cell research is giving the sufferers hope – but when will they get a treatment that works?  Read more

We are human beings. We breathe, we grow, laugh and cry. Biologically we are animals, as Linnaeus realized back in his time. But unlike all other animal species, we can reflect on why we are here. So what exactly is a human being?  Read more

The nano clock – sounds like science fiction? In fact, both you and I have always been controlled by nano clocks. The world's smallest clock is actually also the world's oldest. All organisms that depend on sunlight also need something to measure time...  Read more

The evolution of wild animals into tame domestic ones shows how man has controlled animal biology and our own culture down the ages. No domestic animals can in fact be called 'natural' – and we may wonder how far this development can go. Which animals will be the pets of the future?  Read more

The elephant is the largest land animal, as we all learned in school. But who tops the size league if we include all land organisms, not only animals? Biologists are not entirely sure, but it could be a deciduous tree, the unassuming poplar.  Read more

A marathon 20-year project is underway in Sweden. It's goal? To describe all the multi-celled living organisms in the country. Every last creepy-crawly and weed is to be tracked down, scientifically investigated and then described and illustrated in a gigantic reference work for the general public. Carl Linnaeus would be rubbing his hands with glee!  Read more

It is a fact that women cannot bear children after the menopause. However, new research shows that men's sex cells also have a best-by date. And the number of mutations in the genetic material is actually larger in men than in women. What do these findings mean?  Read more