Science

[:es]When you’re sick, it’s written all over your face. [:]

[:es]In 1992, researchers discovered evidence of what was then potentially the earliest life on Earth: 3.5-billion-year-old microscopic squiggles encased in Australian rocks. Since then, however, scientists have debated whether these imprints truly represent ancient microorganisms, and even if they do, whether they’re really that old. Now, a comprehensive analysis of these microfossils suggests that these…

[:es]For archaeologists, Afghanistan is virtually off-limits for fieldwork, as Taliban forces battle the Kabul government in far-flung provinces and security remains tenuous even in the capital. Yet U.S. and Afghan researchers are now finding thousands of never-before-cataloged ancient sites in the country, which for more than a millennium served as a crucial crossroads linking East…

[:es]A new study suggests that newborns associate the concept of “few” with “left” and “many” with “right,” supporting the idea that such bias might be innate.[:]

[:es]All life forms on Earth use the same genetic alphabet of the bases A, T, C, and G—nitrogen-containing compounds that constitute the building blocks of DNA and spell out the instructions for making proteins. Now, scientists have developed the first bacterium to use extra letters, or unnatural bases, to build proteins.[:]

[:es]Scientists have manipulated spirulina, a microscopic plant and food supplement, to travel through people in response to magnetic signals. The biohybrid robot could one day carry drugs to specific parts of the body, minimizing side effects. What’s more, the robot—and its magnetic coat—appear to kill cancer cells.[:]

[:es]A century after they were discovered killing bacteria in the feces of World War I soldiers, the viruses known as bacteriophages, or simply phages, are drawing new attention for the role they might play within the human body. Phages have been found most everywhere, from oceans to soils. Now, a study suggests that people absorb…

[:es]Cattle and other livestock may have boosted inequality in Old World societies, including ancient Egypt[:]

[:es]Few things may be tackier than reversible garments, but a team of engineers has invented a new fabric that could be—literally—both the hottest and the coolest thing in clothing. The synthetic fabric either warms or cools the wearer, depending on which side faces the body. Researchers are already trying to commercialize the first-of-its-kind invention, which…