Researchers recently scanned a region of the smallest human chromosome and found three previously undiscovered families of genes that are uniquely human and completely absent from apes.¹ This new discovery continues to highlight previous research, showing that the human genome contains many human-specific genes not found in apes—utterly confounding the rapidly crumbling paradigm of h

Graduate student Shiuan-Tze Wu led a study of some ingenious organization into the odor-sensing cells of fruit flies. He and his collaborators at the La Jolla campus of UC San Diego found that the odor-detector cells in the insects’ antennae talk to one another in a way that saves brainpower.

Two separate spider research projects published remarkable results, both in the journal Current Biology. These spiders’ specific features show their miniature skills, and cause us to marvel at their Maker.

by Randy J. Guliuzza and Aaron T. Guliuzza*

The sprouting of a seed is crucial to not only the beginning of a plant’s life, but all life on earth. Despite this fundamental process of importance to plant biology, scientists are baffled over how seeds detect when there’s enough water to germinate. This mystery is now beginning to unfold and nothing less than finely tuned engineering is the clear result.