Biological Sciences

When saltwater fish long ago evolved to live in fresh water, many of them also evolved a more sophisticated hearing system, including middle ear bones similar to those in humans.

Two-thirds of all freshwater fish today — including more than 10,000 species, from catfish to popular aquarium fish like tetras and zebrafish — have this middle ear system, called the Weberian apparatus, which allows them to hear sounds at much higher frequencies than most ocean fish can, with a range close to that of humans.

University of California, Berkeley, paleontologist...

Andrew Dillin is a professor of immunology and molecular medicine in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology (MCB). He would be in the Department of Neuroscience, too, if he wasn’t so dang busy.

In addition to his regular teaching and research duties, Dillin is developing the Division of Immunology and Molecular Medicine’s new curriculum while serving as the faculty co-director of the Robinson Life Science,...

The Turkana people consume an animal-based diet in one of the hottest, driest places on Earth. Scientists uncovered the genetic variation behind this desert adaptation, and how it leads to problems as the Turkana transition to city life.

The nomadic Turkana people of Northwest Kenya are superbly adapted to...

The Vallee Foundation recently announced the appointment of six new Vallee Scholars, including UC Berkeley scientist James Nuñez. The Foundation celebrates its thirteenth year of providing unrestricted support to national and international early-career researchers at a pivotal stage of their tenure-track careers. Since 2013, the Foundation has invested more than $20 million to empower 65 exceptional young scientists worldwide.