Biology Popular Science

Biodegradable plastics are increasingly being viewed as a potential solution to plastic pollution in the environment, as they are expected to shorten the residence time of these materials in natural systems and ultimately allow microorganisms to convert them into carbon dioxide and biomass. （感謝 Foster MJ et al. (2026) 提供） Among the many biodegradable plastics currently in use, aromatic aliphatic copolyesters combine two distinct chemical features within the same material. The

As the most abundant and functionally diverse group of animals on Earth, insects form a fundamental part of ecosystem functioning, and the way they distribute their activity across the 24-hour cycle is central to that role. As early as the 19th century, naturalists had already noticed the differences between organisms active during the day and those active at night, and they also recognized the striking rise in biodiversity and vitality when moving from temperate regions towa

When animals are invaded by pathogens, the immune system initiates a series of coordinated responses involving behavioral, physiological, immunological, and metabolic adjustments, collectively known as the acute phase response (APR). While this response helps combat infection, it also incurs substantial energetic costs, increasing metabolic demands by approximately 5–15%. For free-living animals with unpredictable food resources, such energy expenditure can represent a signif

As octopuses navigate their surroundings, they extend their arms into crevices, burrows, and coral gaps, exploring environments where visibility is limited. Distributed across the suckers on their arms are dozens of chemotactile receptors (CRs), which allow them to "taste by touch." By contacting the surfaces of prey or other objects, octopuses probe the microbial signals present and use this information to guide subsequent behavioral decisions. Study organism: the California

As our exploration of the microbial world continues to deepen, unexpected discoveries keep adding new layers to biology. Hidden within the microbial communities of our bodies is a class of RNA molecules that belong neither to viruses nor quite to viroids, yet are still capable of replicating through their hosts. These RNA genetic elements, known as obelisks , have likely been present in transcriptome studies for years, but because they show no recognizable sequence homology t

Turtles have inhabited the Earth for over 100 million years. Their most distinctive feature, the shell, stands as a testament to the long evolutionary history of this lineage. However, in the age of humans, this very shell—along with other evolutionary advantages accumulated over millions of years—has paradoxically become a disadvantage, intensifying the risk of extinction faced by turtles today. Wildlife is an essential component of ecosystems, yet human activities such as o

3D necroprinting is a biohybrid manufacturing approach that repurposes biological structures from deceased organisms as functional components in 3D printing. Rather than merely drawing inspiration from biological forms, this strategy directly integrates existing biological materials into engineered systems. A striking example is the use of the female mosquito proboscis. The dispense tip is a critical component in applications ranging from biomedical experiments and drug deliv

From a biological perspective, humans are not singular organisms but complex assemblies composed of our own cells and vast communities of microorganisms, forged through long-term coevolution. The earliest life on Earth was bacterial, emerging around 3.8 billion years ago, while eukaryotes appeared later following the rise of atmospheric oxygen. As animals evolved, they formed intimate associations with bacteria, archaea, fungi, and other microbes. The collective genetic conte

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is often understood by the general public as a psychological illness centered on low mood. From the perspective of modern biomedicine, however, it is actually a complex disorder involving multiple layers of physiological dysfunction. Research in neuroscience, immunology, and microbiology has gradually revealed that depression does not arise solely from psychological stress or adverse life circumstances. Instead, it is closely related to interac

Buzz! Buzz! Everyone busy at work! As spring arrives and flowers bloom across the landscape, the air fills with the movement of hardworking bees. Bees are perhaps one of the most familiar insects associated with spring; almost everyone recognizes these industrious little creatures. Yet how much do we truly understand about them? Where did bees originate, and how did humans eventually domesticate them? Let us take a closer look at the story behind these remarkable insects. Eas

In the previous article, we explored the evolutionary history of honey bees. In this installment, we turn to another remarkable chapter of their story: how bees gradually became intertwined with human society. When Did Humans Begin Collecting Honey? The Early History of Bee Domestication The story of humans harvesting honey reaches back to the Paleolithic. During that era, shortly after early humans dispersed out of Africa, life was often uncertain and food resources fluctuat

The great success of dinosaurs was not merely a matter of chance. Their anatomical and physiological characteristics gave them significant advantages, allowing them to seize ecological opportunities whenever vacant niches appeared. These advantages played a crucial role in their rise to dominance. Among the many aspects of dinosaur biology, one feature stands out as particularly powerful: the respiratory system. The respiratory system of the kestrel: 1, cervical air sac; 2, c

What if someone told you that an animal exists which cannot perform aerobic respiration? Many people would assume such a creature could not exist. Yet there is indeed an animal that lives without using oxygen in the way most animals do, and the group to which it belongs is so unusual that it challenges many common assumptions about what animals are. Henneguya salmonicola This organism belongs to the group Myxozoa within the phylum Cnidaria. It is extremely small, measuring on

In 1981, a Soviet submarine ran aground in Swedish waters. The incident immediately drew the attention of the Swedish Navy, which began deploying a variety of monitoring systems to track activity in the surrounding sea. Soon afterward, naval operators started detecting sounds that resembled submarine propellers. Sweden launched extensive searches for the suspected intruding submarines, yet every attempt ended the same way: nothing was ever found. Even after the Cold War ended

New Zealand is an island nation composed of two main islands along with several smaller surrounding islands. Because of its remarkable diversity of bird species, the country has long been described as a “kingdom of birds.” Equally striking, however, is the scarcity of many other animal groups. Native terrestrial mammals are almost entirely absent from the islands. Specimen of Mystacina robusta （圖片來源：Auckland War Memorial Museum，採用  CC BY 4.0  授權。） Illustration of Mystacina tu

As the Lunar New Year approaches, many people begin preparing for the annual year-end cleaning. When scrubbing exterior walls or rooftops, you may have encountered a familiar frustration: no matter how thoroughly you clean, stubborn fungi, algae, mosses, or even small plants keep reappearing on the surface. Before feeling discouraged, it is worth remembering that even the longest defensive structure ever built—the Great Wall of China—faces the same problem. Like all ancient c

Mitochondria（感謝Keith Porter/SPL提供） Mitochondria are the organelles responsible for supplying energy that powers cellular metabolism in eukaryotic cells. They replicate during specific stages of the cell cycle and are distributed to daughter cells during cell division. Unlike most cellular structures, mitochondria contain their own circular DNA. In humans, mitochondrial DNA is approximately 16,000 base pairs in length and most of its genes are involved in oxidative phosphoryla

Recently, a serious food poisoning incident occurred in Taiwan and was confirmed to be caused by bongkrekic acid. This is the first recorded case of such poisoning in Taiwan, and many people are unfamiliar with this toxin. The following article introduces how bongkrekic acid arises and how it affects the human body, with particular emphasis on its biological background. bongkrekic acid Bongkrekic acid is a highly unsaturated fatty acid whose molecular structure remains stable

Have you ever noticed a tiny spider moving around inside your home? These spiders are usually small, rarely exceeding one centimeter in body length, and they often move by hopping rather than walking. If you have seen such a spider, there is a good chance it belongs to one of the most popular pet spiders today: the jumping spiders. “Jumping spider” is actually a common name for a large family of spiders known as Salticidae. Because many members of this family move primarily b

The tail plays an important role in locomotion for many vertebrates, and primates are no exception. Monkeys rely on their tails to maintain balance while moving among branches, and in some species the tail even functions as a fifth limb capable of grasping branches or food. Members of the hominoid lineage—including gibbons, great apes, and humans—lost this structure approximately 25 million years ago when their ancestors diverged from Old World monkeys. In modern humans, only